SUMMARY
- James Owen turned 18 on February 6, 2024
- James Owen is the only son of Michael Owen.
Michael Owen is a name that needs no recognition in the English soccer landscape. The former Ballon d’Or winner had played for some of the biggest clubs in England and has represented the country in some of the biggest tournaments.
The former Liverpool player went viral when he posted a photo with his son, James Owen, on February 6. The former English international wished his son on his 18th birthday. James Owen is the only son among the four children of Michael Owen and his wife Louise. He is the second eldest among the four kids of the former England international.
James Owen was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at the age of eight
Michael Owen revealed in 2019 that his son is clinically blind after being diagnosed with a rare eye disease, Stargardt. The retina of James Owen has been degenerated due to this disease. Stargardt has caused a loss of vision during his childhood.
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The disease was diagnosed when James was only eight years old. Due to this disease, Michael Owen cannot become a pro soccer player like his father. Owen kept the details about the disease under wraps till 2019 because he wanted to avoid big headlines about his son during his childhood.
James Owen joined Michael Owen in a sports documentary on the world of sight loss
The father-son duo has been in the headlines recently for their documentary with TNT Sports. The documentary titled, Football is for Everyone, is presented by Michael Owen. The documentary focuses on the world of sight loss and soccer.
KATHRYN BATTE: Michael Owen’s relationship with his ‘clinically blind’ son James, 17, is the emotional heart of new documentary ‘Football is for Everyone’… the intelligent teenager bravely opens up and is wowed by England’s partially sighted team https://t.co/IA7CkKZDqm pic.twitter.com/MuSAtMlx5U
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 31, 2024
James Owen has also appeared in the documentary to give an insight into the subject, considering her lifelong fight with Stargardt. The documentary seeks to understand more about the disease while focusing on England’s Partially Sighted Futsal Team. The documentary premiered on TNT Sports on January 30 and has been in association with English FA.
Sergio Reguilon joked about being a lookalike of James Owen
The post from Michael Owen about James Owen’s 18th birthday went viral when fans were quick to point out that the only son of the former Liverpool striker is a lookalike of Brentford left-back, Sergio Reguilon. The post slowly started gaining traction on X and Instagram, with the majority of fans commenting on the looks of James Owen.
@ someone who looks like a Premier League player 💬 pic.twitter.com/o4e5Q0HCFN
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 6, 2024
The post gained more traction when Sergio Reguilon joined in on the joke by commenting, “Dad”? on Instagram. The post along with the comment was also shared by the official social media account of the Premier League. The account asked fans to comment with someone who looks like a Premier League player.
Premier League India joined in on the doppelgänger joke
The Indian handle of the Premier League joined the doppelgänger joke by retweeting a throwback tweet from Bollywood legend, Amitabh Bachchan. Back in 2017, the legendary actor tweeted four photos where he claimed that he looked like the outgoing Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp.
https://t.co/jiFsgq71jd pic.twitter.com/NdQu4wu5xm
— Premier League India (@PLforIndia) February 6, 2024
Amitabh Bachchan captioned the tweet with the joke that he and the German manager were twins, separated at birth. The tweet gained 3,600 likes at the time, which isn’t much considering the popularity of the actor. However, the tweet is expected to go viral after being shared by the Premier League account.