Liverpool icon Michael Owen has admitted to "breaking down" over his son's degenerative eye condition. James, 20, has an incurable disease that has left him clinically blind.
Michael, 47, has opened up on his son's plight and his subsequent heartbreak in his new reality TV show, 'Meet the Owens'. The show focuses on the private lives of the Owen household, shedding light on Michael, his wife Louise and their four children, Gemma, James, Emily and Jessica.
James had hoped to follow in Michael's footsteps and become a professional footballer. However, he was diagnosed with Stargardt disease when he was just eight.
Stargardt disease diagnosis and impact
Stargardt is a rare eye disorder that's inherited and causes progressive central vision loss. This usually begins in childhood or adolescence and can lead to blurry, hazy, or distorted vision.
Michael's son says the condition reduces his eyesight to a blur and that he struggles to see clearly if he looks straight ahead. Ex-England hero Michael has revealed how he was reduced to tears upon learning that his son had Stargardt.
Talking in the new Amazon show, the Liverpool legend says: "When he first got diagnosed, I remember stopping in the car, three or four times, and just bursting out crying, thinking, 'What's his life going to be like?' I just wanted him to not feel sorry for himself, wanted him to have a positive outlook on life."
James's condition and future plans
James himself says that his condition is "almost like a ticking time bomb," adding that one day he might go fully blind. Michael's son, while currently working in trading, is taking on further responsibilities at Michael's stables, Manor House.
The former Liverpool striker revealed that he hopes James can take the reins of the business one day. "James's ability to laugh at himself is just the most endearing thing in my world," Michael said. "Little things like that bring us incredibly close together.
"He's been more exposed to Manor House, and ideally, he comes and works for me as I'd love that. It would be lovely to watch it grow together and for him to have an influence on that."
Guilt and Liverpool memories
Michael also detailed the pain and guilt he feels about James being unable to forge a career in football. He added: "Most people who play football have the dream of their son following in their footsteps. That's what my dad had with me. I wanted James to be a footballer when he was really young but obviously that dream was dashed quite early.
"We made James, and I don't think I'd be normal if I didn't put myself in the mirror and think, 'It's down to us that he's got this eye condition', so I did feel guilty for a little while and could say I still feel guilty now but you look at the positives with him and the guilt sort of evaporates."
While Owen has taken his fair share of grief for his shock decision to join Liverpool's historic rivals Manchester United in 2009, he conceded that playing for the Reds was the most joyous time of his life. Owen scored 158 goals for Liverpool between 1996 and 2004, winning six major trophies, before leaving for Real Madrid.
"The happiest years of my life are when I was at Liverpool," he says in the show. "I was playing well, scoring goals, and we won loads of trophies. I was the Michael Owen I like to remember."
"Life was great. Then Real Madrid came in, generally regarded as the biggest team in the world. To see a different country, different team, different food, weather, language - I just thought, 'I've got to try that'."
