Familial dynamics can be challenging enough for us run-of-the-mill folk who fly below the fame radar. Let’s face it, family is weird. Putting a spotlight on that only makes it look worse; even with the proper make-up applied you can still see the stress wrinkles. Of course there’s no shortage of attention-hungry celebutantes airing their dirty knickers and petty squabbles on some third-tier reality show for fifteen-minutes of notoriety, but what really hits the fan is when a child follows in the footsteps of a parent into the family business. And when that business is soccer… oh, nelly.
Gary Striker asked me to investigate this phenomenon he coined “generational talent.” In his case, that moniker would be erroneously applied, but it turns out he was actually onto something… some cursory searching discovered a LOT of second, even third, generation soccer professionals out in the world.
It should surprise nobody that the offspring of a professional athlete would have an advantage from birth in pursuing the same career. Aside from potentially hitting the genetic jackpot, they get to learn by osmosis particularities of the profession by simply living in that orbit. Then there are the training benefits, preferred looks by scouts and trainers, etc. All of the above is not a guarantee, mind, but it’s a pretty big leg up in what is a very tricky road to navigate.
Other sports have some very famous professional generations. Basketball’s Steph Curry is the son of Del Curry, a 15+ year NBA veteran. American football’s Manning brothers (Peyton and Eli) were the children of Archie Manning, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. Interesting side note here: Arch Manning, the son of the NON-quarterbacking (and butt of the family jokes) brother Cooper, looks to be a legit playa and third generational talent.
But enough about lame sports. We’re here for the REAL football (AKA soccer) and the Qooligan has found you some juicy familial sagas to expose to the glaring spotlight of online punditry. Roughly speaking, these dynamics fall into four camps:
- Parents who are better than their children.
- We’re not quite sure which generation is tops, thanks.
- Children who are better than their parents.
- Those rare families with three generations of excellence.
Camp 1: Daddy Issues
These children got dealt the crap hand of having a legendary footballer parent, choosing to follow them in to the same profession, and then failing to measure up in talent, success, or otherwise.
Jordi Cruijff
Jordi (right, so cute!!!) never had a snowball’s chance in hell. His father literally changed the way the game is played and almost single-handedly made Barcelona into the powerhouse it is today. All while smoking two packs a day. If he wasn’t an outspoken atheist, Cruijff the Elder would be ‘Saint Johan’ by now. That said, Jordi did play for Barcelona (while his father was manager) and Manchester United but his career was plagued by injury and the inevitable comparison to daddy.
Quirky side note: back when the Qooligan was a wee goalkeeper living in the Netherlands in 1984, he played against Jordi, who scored four goals. Of course, I remember blocking at least twice that many….
Edinho (Edson Cholbi do Nascimento) & Joshua Nascimento
Neither lad had a snowball’s chance in São Paolo. Edinho was the eldest son of Pelé and at least he had the sense to play goalkeeper, unlike younger brother Joshua who played forward like his pops. Poor Joshua never even signed a pro contract, his brief career hamstrung by repeated injury, while Edinho actually logged 200 games for four different clubs in the Série A before transitioning into coaching. After being convicted for money laundering and drug trafficking, Edinho cashed in on the family name to get his 33 year prison sentence reduced to under two years. Fame does have its privilages.
Diego Armando Maradona Jr.
Born after an out-of-wedlock affair, daddy Diego Sr. only publicly acknowledged paternity in 2016 (Jr. was already 28 years old) saying: “I love him a lot and he’s very like me.” Given that Jr.’s claim to footballing fame is playing for the Italian national beach soccer team, and Sr. is just as well known for debauchery and deliberate handling as he is for fluid dribbling, this might not be a good thing….
Timothy Weah
Young Tim-o (pictured left whilst at Lens) is only 24, so there’s still time to see if he can eclipse his father. We wish him luck in that, but who are we kidding? Really? Papa George’s bonafides are granite hard: the only African national to ever win the Ballon d’Or, called “one of the world’s greatest living players” by Pelé himself, and he was the goddamn President of Liberia from 2018-2024. Plus he did this:
Enzo, Luca, Théo & Elyaz Zidane
Enzo, the eldest at 29, bounced through seven different clubs before retiring this year.
Luca (26) currently plays goalkeeper for Granada.
Théo (22), a midfielder, recently transferred to Córdoba.
Youngest son Elyaz (18) is a center-back who just went pro with the Betis reserve team.
Together with their dad, stone-cold, bald-ass, baller Zinedine (pictured above from the 2006 World Cup), this group would make one formidable futsal squad, but the truth is collectively all those sons don’t have a tenth of the old man’s mojo. I won’t go so far as to label them nepo-babies, but all four are products of Real Madrid’s youth academy while their father was manager of the club. That can’t be a coincidence.
Next Up
The good news is that our next grouping is less depressing than this one. We’ll explore the second camp of generations, in which a clear cut winner is still up for grabs. Stay tuned.
Next in the series:
- Camp 2 – Jury’s Still Out
- Camp 3 – Bugger Off Pops
- Camp 4 – Triple Threat
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