Owen reveals his son suffers degenerative eye condition & won't be footballer

Michael Owen has revealed his teenage son suffers from a rare degenerative eye condition which means he'll never become a footballer.

Owen's 13-year-old son, James, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease several years ago, which means his retina will slowly degenerate, causing a loss of vision.

Owen admits he's previously refused to discuss the problem in public to avoid causing headlines and says there is no chance of his boy making it as a professional.

'He will never be a footballer. My son's got an eye condition,' he told The Times . 'I've never said this. I don't want a big headline.

'Clinically, he's blind. He's got Stargardt disease, a degeneration of his retina. I used to go and watch him and bollock him about his positioning.

'He can't see the ball until it's five yards away. As much as every father wants their son to play, it is almost a relief to me.

'Everyone always asks, 'Is he going to be a footballer' and then I stand on the side of the pitch and hear, 'He's not as good as his dad.'

Owen also reflected on his own footballing childhood and says he was convinced he would have a career in the game from the age of 10.

'I knew when I was seven I wanted to be a footballer,' he added. 'I was so far ahead of everyone at eight, nine and 10 that I knew I was going to be a footballer.

'I'd go to school and know I could run rings around everyone else. If we played football at playtime, when I got to 12, 13, I wouldn't even try for the embarrassment of being too good for them.'