Michael Owen’s wife Louise has revealed she is the reason the footballer stayed at Real Madrid for just one season, sharing her ‘guilt’ over his abrupt departure from the club.
In 2004, after eight years playing for Liverpool, Michael was offered the opportunity to join the Spanish club – widely regarded as the best team in the world – with the couple and their young daughter Gemma moving to a hotel in Madrid.
The couple, who have been together for 28 years, reflected on the move in their upcoming Prime Video series, Meet The Owens, as Michael mused: ‘Life was great but then Real Madrid came along.
“To see a different country, team, food, weather, language, I thought, I have to try that.”
Louise said at the time: ‘I was excited about him and what he achieved. I’m grateful for those moments, but I wouldn’t say I missed it. I like where we are now
‘When I look back on his career I look back on it fondly, but Madrid was quite a testing time for me personally.’
Michael Owen’s wife Louise has revealed that she is the reason the footballer only stayed at Real Madrid for one season, sharing her ‘blame’ after his abrupt departure from the club
In 2004, after eight years playing for Liverpool, Michael was offered the opportunity to join the Spanish club, with the couple and their young daughter Gemma moving to a hotel in Madrid.
As she reflected on the move abroad with their first child, who had only just turned one, she continued: ‘I’d just had Gemma. Having your first child and then moving abroad where you have no support network – it was so lonely.
‘I didn’t even have Michael, he was gone half the week.
“Michael had to try to integrate himself into a new team and get to know everyone, and I was a bit stuck in this hotel with a young baby on my own.”
Yet it was a different story for Michael, who enjoyed playing for the club and spending time with his new teammates.
“I loved it,” Michael admitted. ‘I scored goals, had a great time and enjoyed it. But in the back of my mind I always knew that my wife hated it.
‘I was doing well. I had David Beckham and Luís Figo, Ronaldo, but she was on her own. It was so hard for me to watch her become exhausted from life and how sad she was when it should have been so exciting.
‘I knew there was no going back from that. I knew that if I had stayed another year, Louise wouldn’t have done that. She didn’t say, “I’m going, you can stay here, but you’ll be alone.” She didn’t have to say them.
“And with a young family, that’s obviously the last thing I wanted.”
Louise mused: ‘He felt the pressure of me being unhappy and that probably ended that chapter sooner than if I hadn’t been there.
‘I feel a little guilty. If he had been completely selfish about his career, would he have made the decision to come back? Don’t know.’
Michael met his wife Louise when they attended Rector Drew Primary School together in Flintshire, Wales, and the pair started dating when they turned 17.
Meet The Owens follows a year in the lives of Michael, wife Louise and their children Gemma, James, Emily and Jessica, as they juggle a horse racing business with a chaotic family life.
Michael met his wife Louise when they attended Rector Drew Primary School together in Flintshire, Wales, and the pair started dating when they turned 17.
The couple married in 2005 at their family home with daughter Gemma in attendance, and they also welcomed James, 20, Emily, 18, and Jessica, 16.
Their relationship wasn’t always smooth sailing, however, as their marriage was said to be under strain in 2021 when the Mirror claimed the former striker had sexted former Big Brother contestant Rebecca James.
Neither Michael nor Louise commented publicly on the allegations at the time.
Prime Videos Meet the Owens follows a year in the lives of Michael, Louise and their four children as they run a horse racing business while struggling with a chaotic home life.
At home, Michael and his wife Louise prepare for life as empty nesters: the youngest Jessica dreams of becoming an Olympic champion, while Emily tries to become the first Owen to go to college, and James considers joining the family business.
All six episodes of Meet the Owens will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video from August 28, 2026.
