Louise Owen has shared her "guilt" over her husband Michael Owen's decision to leave Real Madrid after just one season, stating that her personal struggles with loneliness in a foreign country were a primary factor.
Michael Owen joined the Spanish club in 2004 after eight years with Liverpool. The couple, along with their then-infant daughter Gemma, moved to Madrid. However, Louise found the experience isolating, particularly as a new mother.
"I was excited for him and what he was achieving. I'm grateful for those times, but I wouldn't say I missed it," Louise said, reflecting on the move in their upcoming Prime Video series, "Meet The Owens." "When I look back at his career I look back at it fondly, but Madrid was quite a testing time for me personally."
She described the loneliness of being in a foreign country without her usual support system. "Having your first child then moving to a foreign country where you don't have your support network - it was so lonely," she explained. "I didn't even have Michael, he was away half of the week. Michael had to try and embed himself in a new team and get to know everybody and I was kind of stuck in this hotel with a young baby by myself."
Michael Owen, meanwhile, enjoyed his time playing for Real Madrid, which he described as "the best team in the world" at the time. He recalled being aware of his wife's unhappiness. "I was loving it. I was scoring goals and having a great time and enjoying it. But in the back of my mind constantly I knew my wife was hating it," he said. "I had David Beckham and Luís Figo, Ronaldo - but she was just on her own. It was so hard for me to see her getting drained of life and how sad she was when it should have been such an exciting thing."
Owen recognized that his wife's distress meant there was "no coming back from that." He stated, "I knew if I'd stayed another year, Louise wouldn't have." He elaborated that while Louise didn't explicitly say she would leave, her unhappiness was clear, and with a young family, he did not want to be separated.
Louise felt Michael's decision to return was influenced by her unhappiness. "He felt pressure from me being unhappy and that probably brought that chapter to a close earlier than it might if I hadn't been there," she mused. "I feel a bit of guilt. If he had been completely selfish about his career would he have made that decision to come back when he did? I don't know."
Michael and Louise Owen met as children and began dating at 17. They married in 2005 and have four children: Gemma, James, Emily, and Jessica. The couple's life is documented in the upcoming series "Meet The Owens," which follows them as they manage a horse racing business and their family life. The series is set to stream on Prime Video starting August 28, 2026.