Michael Owen’s Post-Football Career: Pundit & Racehorse Owner

Michael Owen’s post-football career has been defined by a combination of media work, business ventures and a deep commitment to horse racing, for which he has been both owner and ambassador for the sport. Since hanging up his boots in 2013, he has continued to build a portfolio life that keeps him close to football while allowing him to indulge his lifelong interests off the pitch.​

Leave the field

When Owen announced that he would retire at the end of the 2012-13 season, it marked the end of a top-level career that began at Liverpool and took him to Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City. He finished with 40 goals in 89 England caps, at the time among the country’s most prolific international goalscorers.​

However, this transition was not emotionally smooth. In a later interview on turning 40, Owen described an initial feeling of “emptiness” after retirement, speaking about the difficulty of no longer training every day and no longer feeling as “special” as he had as an elite footballer. He also admits that those early years brought stress to his personal life, as he adapted to a routine and identity that was very different from the world of sport.​

One of Owen’s first big moves after retirement was into the world of broadcasting, where he quickly became a regular pundit and commentator on live football broadcasts. He joined the ecosystem of Premier League coverage produced for a global audience, working as lead studio expert on Premier League Productions shows such as “Extra Time” and “The Saturday Wrap,” where he offered match analysis and storylines from England’s top flight.​

Owen’s broadcasting style has often led to differences of opinion, with some viewers questioning his delivery of observations on air while others appreciate the former Ballon d’Or winning striker’s perspective. Regardless of his reception, his presence at these events keeps him closely connected to the modern Premier League era, ensuring his name and views remain part of the weekly football conversation.​

Books, branding and business interests

Apart from live broadcasts, Owen has also been active in shaping his post-retirement image through books and commercial partnerships. His book “Michael Owen Reboot,” for example, revisits the ups and downs of his playing career and the psychological challenges that followed, offering a more honest look at fame, injury and the sudden abyss that retirement can represent for professional athletes.​

He also spent years developing “Michael Owen the brand,” a concept that dates back to his late playing days when his off-field image and commercial appeal were carefully packaged and promoted. This branding has extended to sponsorships, ambassadorial roles and corporate appearances, positioning Owen as a recognizable and marketable figure in football-related businesses and beyond.​

Deep ties to horse racing

If football made Owen famous, horse racing was arguably his defining passion in retirement. Long before he stopped playing, he had begun investing in racehorses, and since leaving the field, he has emerged as an owner, breeder and sports enthusiast of racehorses in England.​

The most visible expression of this spirit is Manor House Stables, a thoroughbred racing operation in Cheshire that Owen and his wife Louise converted from a livery stable and launched as a training ground in 2007. The stable, which he owns in partnership with businessman Andrew Black, started with around 30 horses in training and has grown to a significant base now occupied by Classic-winning trainer Hugo Palmer, giving Owen a direct stake in the heart of British flat racing competition.​

Manor House stables and shareholdings

Manor House Stables is more than just a hobby project; this is a serious racing company that Owen has consistently sought to develop and expand. Over the past decade and a half, the course has been upgraded with modern training facilities and has increased its capacity and profile, with Palmer saddled dozens of winners in a season and regularly earning prize money of nearly seven figures.​

Owen remains closely involved as owner and host, often welcoming fellow owners, many of whom have football backgrounds, to the stables. The yard has attracted “sparks of football ownership,” as he puts it, with figures such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes, Steve McManaman and even members of the Burnley squad taking part in horses trained at the Manor House, creating a competitive social atmosphere that bridges its two sporting worlds.

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Syndicates, fan engagement and the racing lifestyle

His racing interests extend beyond private ownership to a syndicate-based model that allows small investors and fans to participate in the experience. The partnership built around Hugo Palmer’s shared stables at Manor House sometimes offers members the opportunity to spend a morning racing alongside Owen, attending his company’s race meetings and enjoying the facilities on the grounds, effectively turning his racing venture into an interactive lifestyle brand.​

Through this syndicate and his public profile, Owen has become an informal ambassador for horse racing, promoting the sport as accessible and aspirational to a wider audience. His and racing fans who use TwinSpires for horse racing betting will know how he often speaks about his continued love of the game, emphasizing that after more than 15 years involved, he remains committed to improving the quality of horses, facilities and ownership experience at Manor House Stables.​

Balancing football heritage and new passion

In the years since his retirement, Owen has gradually achieved a balance between his legacy as a former England and Liverpool star and his new identity as a media pundit and racehorse owner. Television keeps him in touch with the weekly rhythm of football, while his racing commitments provide a different competitive outlet, based on breeding decisions, training patterns and long-term planning, rather than the instant drama of a 90-minute match.​

He has also used his experience to speak more openly about the psychological realities of leaving elite sport, encouraging greater awareness of how players can prepare after the final whistle. Owen’s post-football career has thus developed into a multi-faceted second chapter, built on media work, business ventures and a deep involvement with horse racing that shows no signs of waning.