We all know about footballing siblings, but there are a few rare instances where fathers and sons both end up representing the same football club.
As if siblings just weren’t enough. It’s selfish having so much footballing talent in one family. Not even Roman Reigns and The Rock can compete with a level of bloodline that exists when a father and son are both good enough to play elite-level football, let alone finish the ultra-romantic story of turning out for the same club.
It’s happened more times than you’ve probably realised, too. Here are seven examples of footballing father-son duos who ended up representing the same club.
Lilian& Kephren Thuram
After five years, two Scudetti and over 200 appearances for the Old Lady, Lilian Thuram has just watched his youngest son Kephren sign for Juventus.
The 23-year-old midfielder has joined after an impressive spell at Nice, inking a five-year deal where his task will be to take Juve back to the top of the mountain in Italy after falling away from the top of the tree.
Johan& Jordi Cruyff
You have to feel for Jordi, because no matter how good he was – and he was brilliant when not dealing with injuries – he had that surname. Cruyff. How on earth do you follow in your father’s footsteps when your father is arguably the greatest footballer of all time?
Not only did Johan and Jordi both play for Barcelona, but Johan was actually his son’s manager when he broke into the team, until the pair both left in 1996.
An intelligent midfielder, Cruyff finished as the club’s joint-top scorer in 1994-95 under his father’s watch, before moving to Manchester United in 1996.
Cesare, Paolo& Daniel Maldini
Perhaps the most famous example, but also by far and away the most impressive, Milan have been represented by three generations of Maldini. That is properly nuts. Like stuff you’d write a novel about.
Cesare was the first, playing for Milan for 11 years between 1954 and 1966, winning four Scudetti and the European Cup before also managing the club in the 1970s.
Then came his son Paolo, who spent his entire playing career with Milan from his debut in 1984 to his retirement in 2009. He served as a sporting director at the club and his work was instrumental in them winning Serie A in 2021-22.
Daniel – son of Paolo – made his debut for the Rossoneri in 2020, before making his first start a year later and being in Stefano Pioli’s squad as they won the Scudetto in 2021-22.
Now 21, his future with the club is unclear following loans to Empoli and Monza last season, but nobody can ever take away such an iconic story about three generations of title winners.
Carles& Sergio Busquets
Sergio’s career as a midfielder has been so iconic that you’d likely have no idea he was actually a second-generation footballer, with his father Carles also playing the bulk of his career for Barcelona throughout the 1990s.
Carles was a goalkeeper who came up through the ranks at Barcelona and was said to have possessed strong technical skills despite his position being between the sticks – which explains a lot.
He played backup for the bulk of his career, but was in net as Barca lost the 1991 European Cup Winners’ Cup final to Manchester United.
Danny & Daley Blind
Another extremely successful father-son duo, Danny won five Eredivisie titles and the European Cup among other trophies during his illustrious playing career for Ajax, while also being capped 42 times for the Dutch national team and later managing the Oranje from 2015 to 2017.
His son Daley did a fine job of following in his footsteps, enjoying two spells at Ajax – winning four straight league titles in his first – as well as playing for Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Daley has also been capped 108 times and counting for the national team, playing under his father, and currently sits fifth in the men’s all-time most-capped players ranking.
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Diego & Giuliano Simeone
Known best for his mammoth spell as Atletico Madrid manager at this point, Diego’s playing career was also impressive and saw him represent the Spanish side for two years from 2003 to 2005.
His three sons all play football, but Giuliano, the youngest, is the only one to have played at the same club as his father thus far.
The 21-year-old is still on the books at Atleti after making his debut under his father in 2022, a late substitute in a draw with Granada in La Liga, but has since spent the bulk of his time out on loan.
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Zinedine& Enzo& Luca Zidane
Nobody needs reminding of Zizou’s legend status at Real Madrid as both a player and a manager, but what is easily forgotten is that two of his sons have also played for the club – albeit briefly.
Eldest son Enzo – a midfielder – made one singular first-team appearance for Los Blancos in 2016, replacing Isco in a Copa Del Rey tie against Cultural Leonesa under the watch of then manager – his father – Zinedine.
Luca – a goalkeeper – also made his debut under his father in May 2018, the final game of Real’s La Liga season, a 2-2 draw with Villarreal. Enzo, 29, is now retired, while Luca, still only 26, is playing in the Spanish second tier with Granada.
