Famous Father-Son Pairs in Football

Wayne Rooney’s son, the 11-year-old Kai has just been signed by Manchester United where his dad became the club’s record goal-scorer. We shall see if he can follow his father’s steps. But we can find several other cases, when the sons of famous footballers became great players too. Let’s see the most famous father-son pairs in football. 

We can find several great examples of father-son duos with both of them being great football players. What’s more sometimes they can achieve bigger successes than their parents. Like in the case of Roger and Romelu Lukaku. Where Roger’s son, Romelu is one of the biggest stars of football right now, playing for Inter and the Belgian national team. While his dad also played for Belgian clubs and the national team of Zaire but didn’t achieve such results. In the following list we collected pairs where both members are on a similar level and played or currently play in top European clubs.

Cesare and Paolo Maldini in the famous father-son pairs in football

Let’s start with one of the most famous father-son pairs in football, the Maldinis, who are real legends at AC Milan. Cesare Maldini played for the club between 1954 and 1966 and made 398 appearances. He won four Serie A and one European Cup titles with the club which he also managed later.

But his son could outshine even his achievements in the 24 years he spent  at the Rossoneri. Paolo won seven Serie A titles and five European Cups and became one of the best defenders of all time. Both were captains of the Italian team, but Paolo had bigger achievements with the team. After getting to the finals of the  1994 World Cup and the Euro 2000. And it looks like there is another Maldini who can follow the family traditions. Paolo’s younger son, Daniel Maldini made his debut in the senior team last season and has a bright future ahead of him.

The goalkeeper duo, Peter and Kasper Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel joined Manchester United in 1991 and spent 8 very successful years at the club. He won five Premier League titles and the 1998-99 Champions League after the memorable final against Bayern Munich. Schmeichel is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all time, he was voted the world’s best goalkeeper twice. He also won the 1992 European Championship with Denmark, he is still the most capped player for Denmark.

His son, Kasper managed to continue on the same level and has become one of the best goalkeepers of the Premier League. The younger Schmeichel also plays in the national team and has had 60 appearances so far. He won the title with Leicester City in the 2013-14 season where he has been playing since 2011. The Foxes are doing great again this season and are in 3rd place in the table. Online sportsbooks in the UK offer the odds of 34.00 for their victory.

The great Dutch pair, Danny and Daley Blind

Danny and Daley Blind also belong to the famous father-son pairs in football. Both of them played at Ajax and achieved great successes with the club. Danny Blind stayed at the Dutch giant for 13 years and won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Cup titles with them. He also returned as a coach and assistant coach to the club after his playing career.

While his son, Daley left Ajax after 7 years and joined Manchester United. He won some trophies there including the Europa League title in 2017. But after four seasons he returned back to his fist club and keeps playing on top level there. Both Blinds played in the national team. Daley was a member of the team which finished third in the 2014 World Cup.  Meanwhile his father was the manager of the team between 2015-17 and had the chance to coach his son.

A prolific striker and his son, Patrick and Justin Kluivert

Staying in the Netherlands we have another legendary Dutch player, Patrick Kluivert. And his son, Justin who also followed his dad’s profession. Patrick first played for Ajax and won two league titles and the Champions League in 1995. After he joined AC Milan and FC Barcelona, where he won the La Liga in 1999. Kluivert had the best time at the Catalans where he scored 124 goals in 249 appearances. The superb forward also played in the Dutch team. With his 40 goals he is the third highest goal-scorer for the Oranje.

His son, Justin also started his career at Ajax but joined AS Roma in 2018. He is on loan at RB Leipzig at the moment where he scored his first goal against Bayern Munich. Not a bad performance from the 21-year-old who can play against Liverpool in the Champions League. Online gambling sites in the UK favor the Reds to go through, but Julian Nagelsmann’s team won’t be an easy opponent for sure.

The Brazilian family, Mazinho, Thiago and Rafinha

In some cases, not just one, but two sons can follow their dad’s route and become top football players. Like it happened with Mazinho, the player of the 1994 World Cup winner Brazilian team and his sons, Thiago and Rafinha. Interestingly his sons represent two different countries though. Rafinha stuck with Brazil but Thiago chose to play for Spain instead. Neither of them achieved similar results as their dad yet with the national teams. But both of them are very successful at their clubs.

Thiago plays currently at Liverpool which signed him last summer from Bayern Munich. The 29-year-old midfielder was a key member of the team which won the Treble last season. Before joining the German club he also played for FC Barcelona. He won four La Liga titles and the Champions League with them. His younger brother, Rafinha also played for the Catalans but was often on loan at other clubs. He joined PSG last October and can meet his former club in the Champions League in the round of 16.

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