Michael Owen Now: Pundit, Horse Racing, and Family Life

Owen officially hung up his boots in 2013, but the public never really stopped watching. The coverage shifted from his goal-scoring instinct to his horse-racing acumen and his family’s very public transition to reality TV. The man who was once football’s golden boy now breeds thoroughbreds at Manor House Stables and, according to reports, hands the reins of the family’s public image to his 17-year-old son, James, who has been the subject of relentless tabloid fascination because of a degenerative eye condition that has left him with severely limited vision.

Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) · Position: Striker · England caps: 89

What does Michael Owen do for a living now?

When Michael Owen retired from football in 2013, he didn’t just fade into the golf club circuit. He threw himself into a second career that had been simmering in the background for years. Owen is reported to run Manor House Stables, a sprawling operation that has become his primary focus. He has said horse racing became his new career after falling in love with horses at age 18, a passion that predates his footballing fame by a decade.

Where does Michael Owen live now?

He and his family are based largely in Flintshire, North Wales, with a home in Cheshire near the racing operation. That location anchors the Prime Video documentary about the Owens.

Where is Michael Owen today?

Today he works as a football pundit for BT Sport, appears in the family show, and oversees the racing business. His social media feeds mix match analysis with stable updates.

The transition wasn’t a casual hobby. His racing interests include ownership and breeding, and the business has become central to the family’s public persona. It’s a far cry from the roar of Anfield, but the competitive drive is the same. As Mirror notes in its coverage of the family’s reality show, this is now a “business.” The shift is so complete that a 2026 report states the family business focus has become central to the Prime Video show about the Owens.

The pattern is clear: the same intensity that produced a Ballon d’Or now goes into stallion selections and foal sales.

Why did Michael Owen retire so early?

Owen’s career ended at 33 because of the injuries that defined its second half. Repeated hamstring and groin tears cost him the acceleration that made him a teenage prodigy; by 2013, after a season at Stoke City, he said his body could no longer compete at the top level.

Why did Michael Owen fall off?

His decline was physical rather than technical. The injuries that began in his early 20s robbed him of the explosive acceleration that defined his game; by his late 20s he was a different player, often withdrawn or isolated in attack.

The mental toll was just as heavy. In later interviews, Owen spoke about the grind of rehabilitation and the loneliness of being injured while the team moved on. The man who once outran Argentina’s defence now found himself measuring distances in scanning runs and hamstring percentages.

That second identity was built before the boots were hung up, but it became the main act once his legs gave out.

How did Michael Owen win the Ballon d’Or?

Owen was 21 when he won the 2001 award, a season in which he scored 28 Liverpool goals and helped the club collect the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cup treble. He beat Raúl, Oliver Kahn and David Beckham in the voting.

The defining image from that era remains his 1998 World Cup solo run against Argentina, a goal that made him the face of English football before his international career had properly begun. It is the same burst of speed that the injuries would later take away.

The implication is uncomfortable but fair: the same physical gifts that made Owen exceptional also made his decline feel ruinous.

How many children does Michael Owen have?

Owen and his wife Louise Bonsall, who married in 2005, have four children: eldest daughter Gemma, son James, and daughters Emily and Jessica. The family’s life in North Wales is the backdrop for the Prime Video series.

How old is Michael Owen’s daughter?

Eldest daughter Gemma was born in 2004, and Emily followed in 2008. Jessica’s birth date has not been widely reported.

What age is Michael Owen’s wife?

Louise Bonsall was born in 1976, putting her in her late 40s.

Can Michael Owen’s son see?

James has Stargardt disease, a genetic condition that destroys central vision. He is clinically blind in one eye and has severely limited central vision in the other, though he retains some peripheral sight (AOL).

The trade-off is that every health update, and every documentary cutaway, is filtered through the tabloid lens the family invited by going on camera.

Meet James: The Son Who Can’t Drive

James Michael Owen, the second eldest of Michael’s four children, has inadvertently become the face of the family’s most personal battles. Reports indicate that James was diagnosed with Stargardt disease when he was eight years old. The condition is described as a degenerative eye disease that affects central vision, leaving peripheral vision intact but rendering the sufferer legally blind. Coverage from AOL confirms that this means James cannot drive a car, a standard rite of passage he has had to forgo.

What happened to Michael Owen’s son?

He was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at age eight, and by his early teens he was considered clinically blind in one eye.

“Clinically, he’s blind.” — Michael Owen, speaking to The Sun in 2019

The Sun also reports Owen has expressed a wish that his son could have a “normal” life, a desire complicated by the family’s decision to put their lives on camera. The Mirror has highlighted that James’s condition is a central narrative in the Prime Video series, with the young man himself reportedly wanting to show that his life isn’t defined by his disability. One report suggests James has said his eye condition does not define him, a sentiment echoed in the family’s own promotional materials for the show.

For a family that built its public image on control, the decision to let the cameras inside that vulnerability is a calculated risk.

The James on screen is not the tabloid headline; he is the person the Owen family is trying to protect and promote at the same time.

The Facts on Stargardt Disease

Understanding James’s reality requires a closer look at the condition itself. Stargardt disease is a genetic, degenerative eye condition that typically presents in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by progressive vision loss, specifically affecting the macula, the central part of the retina responsible for sharp, straight-ahead vision. While it doesn’t cause complete blindness—peripheral vision often remains—it severely impacts activities like reading, recognizing faces, and, crucially, driving. The RTÉ coverage explains how the condition leaves those affected with a central blind spot that makes the world a blurry, gray place.

The condition also makes the family’s decision to broadcast it a much more deliberate act.

What the Reports Say: The Curious Case of James

The narrative around James has become muddled with speculation and tabloid reports. Some reports say James was considered clinically blind by age 13, a detail that has been consistently cited across outlets. Reports also suggest James has said he can see “a little” and that he wants to work in the family business despite his limitations. One report from The Sun claims James used to be a “severely obese” child, a detail that, while personal, has been used to paint a picture of a family trying to manage a very public private life.

“My eye condition doesn’t define me.” — James Owen, as reported by RTÉ

There are claims that James has asserted his independence, with some coverage stating he wants a career in football punditry like his father. However, the most consistent theme is the family’s protective instinct. Owen has said, “I used to be a footballer, I’m not anymore. I’m his dad.” This tension between public persona and private struggle is the lens through which the family’s reality show is increasingly viewed.

The catch is that the line between reality and reality TV blurs when a family’s deepest vulnerabilities—a son’s blindness, a father’s career change—are packaged for entertainment, with the family themselves curating the narrative.

For every sympathetic portrait in the show, there is an equally loud tabloid counter-narrative that the family cannot fully control.

The Pundit and the Public Eye

While the horse racing and family drama dominate headlines, Owen still maintains a presence in football media. He works as a football pundit for BT Sport and other networks, a role that keeps him relevant in the sport’s conversation. Yet, even this is filtered through the family lens. His analysis often comes across as measured, a far cry from the fiery striker of the 1990s, but the association with the beautiful game is a constant. The Daily Mail has attempted to explain the pundit’s net worth, tying it directly to his broadcasting role and his racing ventures. Owen’s own admission that his body “could no longer compete at the top level” is a stark acknowledgment of the physical toll the game took, and it’s this honesty that has perhaps endeared him to a new generation of fans who don’t remember the goals but see the father. Like fellow former England striker Peter Crouch, Owen has turned his post-football identity into a media presence that keeps him in the spotlight.

The audience is no longer watching a striker chase a ball; it is watching a father manage a stable, a camera crew and a son’s health in the same frame.

Why did Alan Shearer and Michael Owen fall out?

Reports from their Newcastle years suggested friction: Shearer allegedly felt Owen was aloof and didn’t suit the team shape. Owen later dismissed the feud as media exaggeration. The two have appeared together cordially in public since, and neither has confirmed a lasting rift.

Cynics point to a clash of egos; realists note that Newcastle’s struggles during those seasons made every player a scapegoat. The feud, if it ever existed beyond tabloid pages, has had little staying power.

No definitive public confirmation exists, and both men have behaved as if the matter is closed.

Related reading: **Rio Ferdinand’s Wife, Children, and Life in Dubai Now**

Frequently Asked Questions