Family game: a look at some of football’s most famous brothers

The odds of making it as a professional footballer are slim, to say the least. The chances of then playing against or alongside your sibling at the highest level are even slimmer. In many cases, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, with a lot of the brothers who both make it having fathers who also boasted top careers back in the day.

Let’s look at some of the most memorable instances of successful brothers in football, with an emphasis on the last few decades, and then cast a small glimpse into the future.

André and Jordan Ayew

Both vastly experienced journeymen of the Premier League, André and Jordan Ayew are still going strong.

André has enjoyed 2 separate stints with Swansea City, memorably scoring for them on the opening day of the 2015/16 season at Stamford Bridge against defending champions Chelsea. His career has taken him from Marseille to Swansea to West Ham to Fenerbahçe to Al Sadd and most recently Nottingham Forest. It’s been an eventful ride for the left-footed Ghana skipper.

Brother Jordan has also represented both Marseille and Swansea but found a home at Crystal Palace, where he’s been a rock-solid performer, making defenders’ lives a misery with his relentless work ethic. He scored a truly stunning solo goal back in 2019 against West Ham. These brothers are still integral to the Black Stars cause. 

There are also rumours that Jordan’s 9-year-old son Razan has some serious football skills. 

Gary and Phil Neville

Man Utd through and through, Gary and Phil blazed a trail in the early years under Sir Alex Ferguson. They were a crucial part of the famed “Class of 1992” alongside Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt. They won it all with the Red Devils and lived the dream.

Management didn’t work out so well for Gary at Valencia, and the same can be said for Phil at Inter Miami, but they can rightly brag about superb careers in England as players. Gary also enjoys riling up rival fans with his punditry work. 

Eden and Thorgan Hazard 

It’s unusual to see a brother who was obviously a lot more gifted get eclipsed by his younger brother while they’re both still active. Age catches up to all footballers, and injuries certainly didn’t help Eden’s cause at Real Madrid. Still, he was an electrifying presence for Chelsea and is adored by Blues fans to this day.

Thorgan was also on the books at Chelsea but things never worked out in London for him. He made up for it though, starring for Borussia Mönchengladbach and then Borussia Dortmund, helping him become a key figure for the Belgian Red Devils. The pair played together for the national team, which must have been cool.

There are even 2 other Hazard brothers, Kylian, who has spent most of his career in lesser European leagues, and Ethan, who at 19 has yet to make a major senior breakthrough.

Yaya and Kolo Touré

Ivorian legends, both Yaya and Kolo Touré can be proud of stellar careers at club and international level. Kolo became among Arsène Wenger’s best-ever finds when he arrived from ASEC Mimosas in 2002 as a utility wide man for a bargain fee of €185k. Wenger converted him into a central defender, and Kolo became a mainstay of the 2004 Invincibles alongside Sol Campbell.

Yaya, surely among the most dominant and devastating midfielders the Premier League has ever seen, helped take Man City to a new level with his match-winning antics over a glorious 8-year spell. He also did his thing for Barcelona, winning the 2009 Champions League final at centre-back against Man Utd under Pep Guardiola. Together, the Tourés won AFCON 2015, both converting penalties in a dramatic shootout against Ghana. What a feeling that must be. 

Before Yaya was a household name, the ever-humble Kolo even told the world’s journalists that his brother was a much better player than him. 

Jérôme and Kevin-Prince Boateng

Aside from that moment against Lionel Messi which launched millions of memes, Jérôme Boateng’s career has been a picture of consistency. Often alongside Mats Hummels, he was a key component of Bayern’s continued Bundesliga dominance and of course Germany’s 2014 World Cup win. 

Kevin-Prince, on the other hand, has been a sensationally entertaining footballer throughout his career but there’s also been plenty of inconsistency. He’s been dazzling and frustrating fans of clubs in Germany, Italy, England, Spain and Turkey since his professional debut for Hertha Berlin in 2005. There has never been a dull moment with an undoubtedly gifted footballer, who scored a Puskás Award contender for Las Palmas in 2016.

Jérôme and Kevin-Prince were both born in Germany but the latter opted to represent Ghana. Never forget that goal Kevin-Prince scored against the USA at World Cup 2010, a tournament where they became the first brothers to face one another on that stage, to help the Black Stars reach the quarter-finals. 

Thiago Alcântara and Rafinha

Like the Boatengs, Thiago and Rafinha represent different teams on the international stage. Thiago has pulled the strings for Spain while Rafinha, who also started his pro career at Barcelona, has been capped twice by Brazil. Their father is Mazinho, Brazilian World Cup winner in 1994 and Copa América champion in 1989.

Thiago was actually born in Italy and was a key cog of the Bayern Munich team which beat PSG in the 2020 Champions League final. He is the product of a family with a rich footballing pedigree. 

Lucas and Theo Hernández

Theo Hernández has quickly developed into one of the finest attacking left-backs in world football. After short spells with Real Madrid and Real Sociedad, he’s now settled with AC Milan and a regular for the France national team. He actually replaced his brother who hobbled off injured in their World Cup 2022 opener against Australia, and scored first in the semi-final against Morocco. 

Brother Lucas, 1-and-a-half years his senior, is perhaps the more illustrious name because of his World Cup success in 2018. The versatile defender has recently joined PSG from Bayern for €45m. 

Marcus and Khéphren Thuram

Lilian Thuram won it all with France at the turn of the millennium, and now has the privilege of seeing both his sons play at the highest level. He made 142 appearances for the French national team, making him their second-most capped player ever. With the outrageous depth of the current France squad, Marcus and Khéphren are unlikely to emulate their dad’s record in that regard, but they can certainly achieve other special things together for Les Bleus. 

Marcus recently sealed a switch to Inter Milan from Borussia Mönchengladbach. Khéphren, a tall, elegant central midfielder, is being courted by a number of Europe’s BIG clubs and Nice could struggle to keep hold of him after he recently became a full international. Both of these young Frenchmen were actually born in Italy during their dad’s playing career.

Will Kylian and Ethan Mbappé be the next superstar brotherly duo?

Kylian needs absolutely no introduction. At 24, he’s already won the World Cup and came agonisingly close to winning it again last year.

Not many people know much about his brother Ethan. That might change. Although there’s a long way to go for the 16-year-old midfielder, he’s got the perfect older brother to teach him the ropes at PSG, assuming Kylian sticks around.

Honourable mentions

Bobby and Jack Charlton, Ronald and Frank de Boer, Rio and Anton Ferdinand, Ronald and Erwin Koeman, Fabio and Paolo Cannavaro, Filippo and Simone Inzaghi, Franco and Giuseppe Baresi, Brian and Michael Laudrup, Fabio and Rafael Da Silva, Diego and Gabriel Milito, Bradley and Shaun Wright-Phillips, Sofyan and Nordin Amrabat

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