'Once in a lifetime moment' - Sessegnon twins ready to face one another in FA Cup

Steven (right) could come up against his twin brother Ryan when League One Wigan host Fulham in the FA Cup

Twins Steven and Ryan Sessegnon played alongside one another for 10 years as they rose through Fulham's academy before playing for the first team together.

On Saturday, the 24-year-old brothers - who describe themselves as "very close" - could face one another on the same pitch when League One Wigan host Premier League Fulham in the fourth round of the FA Cup (15:00 GMT).

Ryan left Fulham in 2019 for Tottenham for £25m before the winger returned to the club last July - by which time Steven was preparing for the start of his second season at Wigan.

"It's going to be very strange," left-back Steven, the older brother by "about 25 minutes", tells BBC Sport.

"Ryan is my twin and the game is against my former club. It's going to be exciting for all the family."

Older brothers Chris, Yannick and Richie are set to travel to Wigan to watch - but mum Bridgette and dad Desire will not be there.

"My mum and dad get nervous just watching one of us play," says Steven.

"I don't think they will be able to handle both of us on the same pitch at the same time."

Steven and Ryan were born on 18 May 2000

Brotherly love

The Sessegnon twins' relationship with Fulham runs deep.

Born just down the road in Roehampton, they rapidly moved up the age groups after initially joining as under-nines, having been spotted playing for local team Wandgas.

When they were not training at Fulham's academy, the twins would hone their skills playing in a cage next to their house after lessons at Coombe Boys' School in New Malden.

Both Ryan and Steven made their senior Fulham debuts before turning 18 on 18 May 2018.

Ryan was 16 when he started a League Cup win at Leyton Orient in 2016 in a team that featured 35-year-old Scott Parker, while Steven was handed his first senior outing the following year at the age of 17 in a League Cup win at Wycombe.

That night at Adams Park on 8 August 2017 was an immensely proud moment for the Sessegnon family.

While Steven played the full match, Ryan - who three weeks earlier had helped England win the European Under-19 Championship playing alongside Mason Mount and Aaron Ramsdale - came on as a late substitute.

The brothers had worked their way up through the age groups to play together for Fulham's first team.

Ryan and Steven had played together in Fulham's first team by the time they turned 18 in 2018

"Ryan had already spent a year or so in the first team when I made my senior debut," says Steven. "It motivated me seeing him doing so well."

By the end of 2017, Steven had a World Cup Under-17 winners medal after helping Steve Cooper's England side - which also included Manchester City's Phil Foden and then Chelsea defender Marc Guehi - win the tournament in India.

Ryan was still a teenager when he moved to Tottenham in 2019, and went on to play in the Champions League.

Steven made 19 first team appearances for Fulham - the majority of them in the Championship - before joining Wigan in August 2023.

Despite growing up together in Fulham's academy, Saturday will be the first time the twins have faced one another in a competitive match - if both feature.

Steven has not played since 4 January because of a knee injury. But he is set to be included in Shaun Maloney's Wigan squad after returning to training.

Meanwhile, Ryan came off the bench to help Fulham win 2-1 at Newcastle last Saturday.

Steven in action for League One Wigan Athletic this season

'We know one another inside out'

Steven says it will be a "once-in-a-lifetime" moment if he does get to play against his twin.

But he has ruled out swapping shirts with Ryan at the end of the tie, which has to be decided on the day after replays from the first round onwards were scrapped.

"If I wanted his shirt I could just call him and get one sent over," he laughs.

"Exchange shirts? I don't think that's going to happen."

There is more than 200 miles of road between Wigan and Fulham, and Steven admits he misses his twin after spending so much of their youth together playing football.

"We know one another inside out," he says.

"We speak a lot on the phone. He's got a one-year-old daughter and I love being on the phone with her and him."

Wigan boss Maloney said he would weigh up his options before deciding whether to play Steven following his recent injury.

In January, Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson came under fire from some fans after denying 18-year-old Tyler Young a chance to play against his dad, Ashley, when the Posh lost to Everton in the third round.

"We are not a charity case," Ferguson, son of former Manchester United boss Sir Alex, said afterwards.

Maloney, part of the Wigan team that beat Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup final, said: "I want to win.

"I know this game means a lot for those two [Steven and Ryan]. Sess is a brilliant guy who has worked extremely hard to get fit for this game.

"I'm pretty sure if we're winning I'll need Sess at some point so I hope he is on the pitch."

Ryan and Steven on the pitch together playing for Fulham in 2018. On Saturday the twins could be on the same pitch on opposite sides