Ex-Birmingham City and Cardiff player reveals heartbreaking health update | OneFootball

A former Birmingham City, Cardiff City, and Swansea City player has revealed a heartbreaking health update as his situation worsens...

Cardiff City are set to follow in Birmingham City's footsteps this season in returning to the Championship at the first time of asking, meaning both sides will be in the same division once again.

Birmingham City and Cardiff City may not share a direct rivalry, but they have shared a division in 12 of the last 15 seasons. All of those have been in the Championship, having traded places in League One and the second tier last May.

Cardiff's great rivals are Swansea City and Birmingham's are Aston Villa, but there are just over 100 miles between the two sides and that makes Birmingham one of Cardiff's shortest trips next season.

They also share a number of players who have appeared for both clubs. For example: Jordon Mutch, Darren Purse, Isaac Vassell, Neil Etheridge, Lee Camp. Chris Burke, and Omar Bogle are just some of the names who featured for both sides. However, a health update has emerged on another former player for both teams.

Jason Bowen reveals update on Motor Neurone Disease battle

Jason Bowen's career began with Swansea City but he also featured for Birmingham and Cardiff with distinction. Particularly during his time at Cardiff, which saw him become a key figure during a transformative period for the club, and his son Sam also graduated through the Bluebirds' academy before leaving for Newport County

A reliable and versatile forward, he offered consistency and leadership in a side pushing to climb the divisions. He was not flashy, but he was exactly the kind of player managers trusted. Frank Burrows reunited with Bowen a number of times, such was his dependability.

Bowen epitomised the type of player every successful side needs — steady, dependable, and often underrated, even if he rarely grabbed the headlines. He retired in 2013 with Welsh side Llanelli, having also played for Newport County.

Now 53 in 2026, Bowen has been battling Motor Neurone Disease since March 2021. The BBC revealed this in February 2023 and further information has since emerged regarding his condition.

Bowen, per Birmingham Live, is now heartbreakingly losing the use of his legs as his battle with the disease worsens. Bowen spoke in recent weeks to the BBC and described his recent struggles.

He said: “I’m losing the use of my legs and my right arm is getting a bit weaker. My voice… I can’t use my left arm at all. Some things are gradually getting worse. Walking. Eating.”

While he initially managed to keep on top of the illness through rehabilitation back in 2021, he has since been forced to stop due to fatigue.

“I had to stop because I was finding it too tough. I was getting really tired,” he added.

Jason Bowen's biggest career achievements

It's fair to say that Bowen is a stylish winger who was a fan favourite at several clubs, including Swansea, Cardiff, and during his brief stint with Birmingham. He spent five years at Swansea, helping the club win the Autoglass Trophy in 1994.

That was before joining Birmingham for two years from 1995-1997. He later moved to Reading after a brief loan with then Premier League side Southampton, but soon returned to Wales in 1999.

That was when he signed for Cardiff, spending the remainder of his career west of the Wales-England border. Bowen won three promotions, and he was relegated once, during his time with the Bluebirds before joining Newport in 2004. Bowen finished with Lllanelli from 2008-2013.

His career took him to even greater heights than anything he achieved at club level, albeit only in two appearances for his national team. He made his Wales debut in 1994 against Estonia, with his second cap coming in a 7-1 loss to the Netherlands two years later.