Michael Owen makes shock appearance in Egypt to star in new movie

Football legend Michael Owen has been photographed in Egypt as he prepares for a new venture as an actor.

Since hanging up his boots in 2013, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid star has been a regular pundit at TNT Sports and is also big in the world of horse racing.

But now it looks like he's ready to enter a new industry as he prepares to hit the big screen and star in 'El Harefa 2'.

On Wednesday, an image appeared on X showing Owen arriving in Cairo – with a big smile on his face – as he prepared for the new challenge.

After photos of Owen were spotted, fans also found a photo of the movie poster, which featured the Ballon d'Or winner front and center.

The film is a sequel to the original 'El Hareefa' which was released earlier this year.

The plot for that film, according to IMDb, revolved around teenage football enthusiast 'Maged' and his transition from a private school to a public school – and his adventures on their street football team.

This will be Owen's second time on the big screen, having made a small cameo in the 2007 cult classic 'Goal II: Living the Dream'.

Owen's surprise move into the film industry comes a decade after he claimed he “hated movies.”

He took to X – then called Twitter – and wrote: “I watched my eighth movie ever on the flight home. Must have been bored. #HateFilms'.

On the same day, he also posted: “Movies I had to watch: Rocky, Heat, Ghost, Jurassic Park, Cool Runnings, Seabiscuit, Karate Kid, Forest Gump.”

Since his retirement in 2013, Owen has become a well-known face in horse racing as a breeder and owner.

Owen founded the Manor House Stables in Malpas and one of his horses, Zoffee, won the Chester Cup, a £170,000 handicap race, in May.

As well as his involvement in the horse racing world, Owen is still a familiar face to football fans thanks to his appearances as a pundit on TNT Sports.

Owen recently missed Match Officials Mic'd Up – just 24 hours after a scandal involving referee David Coote broke out.

A video went viral on social media showing Coote worse for wear as he called Liverpool '***' and called the club's former manager Jurgen Klopp a 'German ****'.

Coote has been suspended by the PGMOL pending a full investigation, and referees' chief Howard Webb is said to be questioned by Owen about Coote's conduct.

However, as the show began scrutinizing refereeing decisions, it quickly became clear that Owen was nowhere to be seen.