Football Stars and Their Children's Careers in Football

[Dunamisx]

To make it straightforward, the title already explains more about what I intended to discuss in this thread.

I want us to bring in the names of some professional football players who also have children in football, and they are doing well already. It is undisputed that we have some players whose children's career ambitions are different from their father's profession, while there are some other key players whose children are taking after them in a football career.

I have two players to mention here; you can drop your own as well if you know some.

Cristiano Ronaldo had his some Cristiano Ronaldo Jr into football academy, and he plays in almost a similar manner to his father.

Second is Marcelo, Enzo Alves Vieira, who also has his son in the football academy; his son plays for the Real Madrid youth team.

[MArsland]

Cristiano Ronaldo had his some Cristiano Ronaldo Jr into football academy, and he plays in almost a similar manner to his father.

Second is Marcelo, Enzo Alves Vieira, who also has his son in the football academy; his son plays for the Real Madrid youth team.

One thing I do know is that skills can't be inherited, no matter how great CR7 is, but that doesn't mean it's going to pass down to his children. In the world of football or whatever makes the most sense it's wealth that can only be inherited, skill, fate and the rest depend on decisions and hard work. Now Cristiano Jr. is trying to follow his father's career to become a famous footballer with the access that the father has, but do not be surprised that it is only a fraction of a percent can help the rest depends on the son.

[Donk1]

I think this generation of footballers are going to be better than the last in most cases, though. Still, the most important thing is how this generation of youngsters are growing rapidly, like Lamine Yamal, who was only 16 when he started playing for FC Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is probably the youngest Spain player and also good at scoring goals. That's to show how much potential we are seeing in this gen...
That said footballers whose children chose to follow in their fathers' footsteps are often compared by fans, most especially based on their talents and skills like Justin Kluivert, son of Patrick Kluivert, or Federico Chiesa, son of Enrico Chiesa.still they were able to build their own careers even with the consistent pressure and comparison that's all......

[HelliumZ]

I know of another player whose son you all know, the former French legend Zinedine Zidane, and his son Luca Zidane, who played goalkeeping for Algeria in the 2026 World Cup. I have seen many players' children choose a football career and I can say that most former players, when they have children, prepare their careers mainly based on football. Football wizard Lionel Messi will basically make his three children football legends like him and Cristiano Ronaldo is already giving his son special training in football. And there are many other unknown players whose children are choosing football as a career.

[Luzin]

I don't see him having any special abilities; he's known right now because of his father's very big name. If he weren't Ronaldo's child, he probably wouldn't be known by many people. I also think his career development is still pretty ordinary. Of course, comparing him to Yamal would be like comparing heaven and earth. Yamal debuted in Barcelona's senior team at 15, whereas Cristiano's kid is still in the youth teams in the Saudi league. So I feel Ronaldo's child won't achieve as much as his father. In fact, I see that some children of star football players don't have football careers as successful as their fathers. This might be due to untrained mental toughness, and they've been given an easier path thanks to their father's facilities. If they don't work as hard as their fathers, these players' kids seem unable to match the achievements their fathers had. IMO

[qurbanshah02]

Cristiano Ronaldo had his some Cristiano Ronaldo Jr into football academy, and he plays in almost a similar manner to his father.

We have seen him a lot on social media and he has been seen playing, so we see the best career of Ronaldo's son because he has kept himself very strong and fit and he also gives such advice to his son that he will take his son as his own. Even if his son also shows interest, he can leave his father behind because only hard work leads to progress and success, so if the son continues on the path of hard work and he needs enough age, he can make his own good future at that age. A lot of progress can be achieved in football, but there are many good players who want to bring their children into this field by working hard and paying attention to them, but Ronaldo is more interested in all of them, so he has paid a lot of attention to his child.

[HustleZ]

To make it straightforward, the title already explains more about what I intended to discuss in this thread.

I want us to bring in the names of some professional football players who also have children in football, and they are doing well already. It is undisputed that we have some players whose children's career ambitions are different from their father's profession, while there are some other key players whose children are taking after them in a football career.

I have two players to mention here; you can drop your own as well if you know some.

Cristiano Ronaldo had his some Cristiano Ronaldo Jr into football academy, and he plays in almost a similar manner to his father.

Second is Marcelo, Enzo Alves Vieira, who also has his son in the football academy; his son plays for the Real Madrid youth team.

Yes many footballer’s children play football but what i see is that they arent as good and talented as their father. I think the reason is that they dont have that hunger and ambition their father had because 9/10 times becoming the first footballer in family is way harder than becoming the second because becoming the first footballer in family you have to face many questions and criticisms too so you have more to prove and work harder whereas being a footballer’s son you have the fullest support. Ronaldo junior can never reach his father’s level and that’s the same with other footballers

[Rhow]

Cristiano Ronaldo Jr is not only training at the football academy, but he has also been called up to the Portugal U-15 team due to his qualifications. However, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr has only trained with Real Madrid's age group, so he cannot be considered a permanent member of Real Madrid.

Enzo Alves Vieira is not only a player in Real Madrid's youth team, but also an important player in the club's youth structure. He also signed his first professional contract in 2026.

[ArabBTC]

I think this generation of footballers are going to be better than the last in most cases, though. Still, the most important thing is how this generation of youngsters are growing rapidly, like Lamine Yamal, who was only 16 when he started playing for FC Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is probably the youngest Spain player and also good at scoring goals. That's to show how much potential we are seeing in this gen...
That said footballers whose children chose to follow in their fathers' footsteps are often compared by fans, most especially based on their talents and skills like Justin Kluivert, son of Patrick Kluivert, or Federico Chiesa, son of Enrico Chiesa.still they were able to build their own careers even with the consistent pressure and comparison that's all......

I doubt that this upcoming generation young football stars will be better than the previous once, to me i feel the passion for football has dropped it is more of money making now, players are more protective of their legs etc and concerned how huge the money they use in signing them is, back then certain players were so passionate, ready to make any tackle or risk anything just to defend their team, the likes of Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Drogba etc were so passionate that they made football in their generation remarkable, this new younger stars easily fade away, Lamine Yamal is doing well but their are still a lot records that the previous generation broke that he can’t beat in a long while.

On the other hand the issue of football stars wanting their children to follow their steps is not a bad idea, every father will want his kids to protect their legacy but the truth is they can only try by putting their kids in certain clubs academy but there is no way those kids can play or be like them, some of their kids might me successful at football either like them or better than them whereas some will underperform or even not like football as a career.

[lovesmayfamilis]

Cristiano Ronaldo had his some Cristiano Ronaldo Jr into football academy, and he plays in almost a similar manner to his father.

Second is Marcelo, Enzo Alves Vieira, who also has his son in the football academy; his son plays for the Real Madrid youth team.

One thing I do know is that skills can't be inherited, no matter how great CR7 is, but that doesn't mean it's going to pass down to his children. In the world of football or whatever makes the most sense it's wealth that can only be inherited, skill, fate and the rest depend on decisions and hard work. Now Cristiano Jr. is trying to follow his father's career to become a famous footballer with the access that the father has, but do not be surprised that it is only a fraction of a percent can help the rest depends on the son.

There will also be a significant difference in that children of football players have more opportunities to achieve success, and do you know why? Name! The father’s name (given his past achievements) somehow places the hope on the children of repeating all the records that their parents achieved. Moreover, ordinary boys who love football but don’t have the opportunity to train properly, stay in good shape, eat properly, and do all the little things that can help raise a champion are often deprived of the chance to succeed. Although, of course, there are many champions who also grew up on children’s pitches and were just amateurs.

But still.

Nowadays, participating in professional football at good children’s clubs is quite expensive, and not all parents can afford to pay for such training. The good news is that talents still emerge, although there would be even more of them if the training conditions were the same for everyone. For those who want and love football, and for those who have connections, it’s necessary to look for opportunities for young talents from ordinary families.

[Iranus]

There is no guarantee that a son will be good footballer if his father is professional one. On the contrary famous father's surname often create enormous pressure as well as advantage.

I read a post on Premier League a few days ago where I saw that about 30+ father-son pairs have played in Premier League so far. Where there were example like Haaland, Schmeichel, Wright-Phillips, Reyna, Fletcher.

This matter is also quite interesting in case of Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. He is in the youth setup of Al-Nassr and has also played in youth team of Portugal. This year he has also trained with U16 team of Real Madrid. So it is a bit premature to call him the next Ronaldo right now, his own professional career has not yet started.

[Bluedrem]

The environment in which one grows up grows like that environment. Yes, many star players have the goal that their sons and daughters can also continue playing sports like them. Accordingly, their fathers can also guide them. Especially when a father is aware of the various opportunities available to players as players, he tries to ensure that his son or daughter can also enjoy all those opportunities by becoming a player like him. What you said here about Cristiano Ronaldo's son and Marcelo's son is true, and at the same time, Leon Messi's son has also been admitted to the football academy, perhaps they will also be able to express themselves as star footballers like their fathers one day.

[Pmalek]

One of the most successful examples currently is probably Lilian Thuram's sons. Both play in the Serie A. Marcus is an attacker for Inter, Khephren Thuram plays for Juventus. Juventus has other similar examples. Sérgio Conceição's son, Francisco is currently at Juventus. Than we have Alfonso Montero, the son of Paolo Montero. Samuele Birindelli is a Monza defender. His father, Alessandro Birindelli, used to play for Juve in the 90s and 2000s. I can't think of anyone else involved with Juventus that fits in this category.

[Rruchi man]

To make it straightforward, the title already explains more about what I intended to discuss in this thread.

I want us to bring in the names of some professional football players who also have children in football, and they are doing well already. It is undisputed that we have some players whose children's career ambitions are different from their father's profession, while there are some other key players whose children are taking after them in a football career.

Do you think that the children of these star football players who are now football players were forced into it by their parents, or because of how successful their parents were, they just decided to go in the line that their parents were already in, which is football?

Because if they are forced into it, they will not do as well as those that developed the passion for the sport from watching their father/mother in the sport and decided to go in that line.

Some of these children of these very big football stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi may face the challenge of being under the shadow of their father's record for their football-playing career because there will always be the comparison to see if the son will be greater than the father or if the father remains the better footballer with a better record than whatever the son can achieve; to some of them, it may be psychologically disturbing to always have that comparison looming all over their head.

[blomen]

if a football player is truly a big name, people somehow assume that his child is automatically guaranteed to be a good soccer player too, but i think they have about the same chance of becoming a soccer player as anyone else.

it’s just that being born into the world of soccer gives them a 1-0 head start on the path to becoming a soccer player. that’s all. they have to do everything else on their own, regardless of whose child they are.

[free-bit.co.in]

Second is Marcelo, Enzo Alves Vieira, who also has his son in the football academy; his son plays for the Real Madrid youth team.

Speaking of Marcelo's son Enzo Alves, he is in Real Madrid's Juvenil B. And he was part of the squad that won UEFA Youth League this year. As far as I know, he also played for Spain U17.

I would add few more name, Erling Haaland<->Alf-Inge Haaland, Kasper Schmeichel<->Peter Schmeichel, Marcus and Khéphren Thuram<->Lilian Thuram, Federico Chiesa<->Enrico Chiesa, Daley Blind<->Danny Blind and Justin Kluivert<->Patrick Kluivert.

Of these Haaland, Schmeichel & Thuram families seem very interesting to me. Because those boys have not only repeated their father's career. Some have even surpassed their father's achievement.

I don't really see it as just football genes. Environment, early coaching, facility, networking and access to elite training from early age are also big factor in my opinion. A famous footballer's son may have better genes, but his biggest advantage is probably growing up in professional football environment from very young age.

[meser#]

First people who come to mind in this regard are Johan Cruyff and his son, Jordi Cruyff.
Johan was a legendary Dutch football figure at Barcelona; he even served as the team's manager at one point. His son Jordi trained in Barcelona's youth academy and went on to play for the senior team, though he didn't make a huge impact. As I recall, he later transferred to Manchester United and had stints at clubs like Celta Vigo and Alavés before eventually retiring.
He wasn't a bad player, perhaps, but he didn't have the same level of impact as his father, Johan.

Take the father of Lukaku—who is currently at Fenerbahçe—for instance; he played for Gençlerbirliği in the 90s, yet Lukaku Jr. has had a more distinguished career.

Similarly, Sörloth's father was also a footballer, but Alexander Sörloth became the more renowned and well-known player. Sometimes, the student surpasses the master.

[Inior]

There are lots of things that makes these kids get involved in the same career as their parents. Mind you, these kids were not forced to go down this path, they made the decision on their own and they chose to follow that career path. This is mostly passed down genetically and in some cases the kids look up to their parents and also push themselves to become like them. I watched a video clip of messi's son showing off his skills and I was really impressed, his movements, dynamics and skills shows that he has been properly trained at such a young age. This clearly shows that the next generation would be better than the current players because these kids already know tactical moves that the current star players didn't know how to pull off when they were teenagers.
it gives us hope that football is going to keep on getting better as time goes on and it is not a game that's just going to die off.

[Fiasem20]

It’s a great idea to pass your skills to your offspring.I’m not talking about forcing them but rather encouraging them by giving them the best platform to follow suit,maybe Cristiano Ronaldo has noticed that he’s son love playing football whereas there’s a saying that is often used by people “Like father like son” so maybe he’s father has noticed that he’s son shares the same characteristics,so enrolling him in a football academy would be the best way to accomplish he’s son’s dream.Even here in the crypto space most parents that are crypto experts may notice one of their child that are interested in the tech industry and bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency so it falls under the category of the tech world,so instead of neglecting their child’s specialty they’ll be moved to teach the child about bitcoin and the crypto space at large.So all I’m pointing out is;observe your children talent and nurture it in your own power.

[Achalugo BTC]

I think this generation of footballers are going to be better than the last in most cases, though. Still, the most important thing is how this generation of youngsters are growing rapidly, like Lamine Yamal, who was only 16 when he started playing for FC Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is probably the youngest Spain player and also good at scoring goals. That's to show how much potential we are seeing in this gen...
That said footballers whose children chose to follow in their fathers' footsteps are often compared by fans, most especially based on their talents and skills like Justin Kluivert, son of Patrick Kluivert, or Federico Chiesa, son of Enrico Chiesa.still they were able to build their own careers even with the consistent pressure and comparison that's all......

That shows they have been watching their dads playing while growing up, which gave them a passion for what their fathers do. You know, children do look up to their parents as their first role models before anyone or anything else because they see their parents as a perfect role models, and that leads them follow in their parents footsteps. One reason might be to make their parents proud by becoming better or more successful than their parents. That's why, in other careers like music, medicine, and entrepreneurship, children often take after them and are even become better than their fathers.