Footballing fathers and sons
These footballers are making their mark on the field – just like their famous fathers
DROGBA, Rivaldo, Weah and Zidane – these names don’t belong only to soccer’s golden generation of the ’90s.
There’s a new squad in town and they’re blazing a successful trail onto the football field. The sons of these soccer greats are stepping out of the shadows of their famous fathers and making a name for themselves – some with a little help from their dads.
Here’s a look at the second-generation footballers making their mark across the globe.
ISAAC DROGBA
Just like dad Didier, Isaac now plays for Guingamp. Didier was with the French side before moving on to Marseille and then Chelsea.
The 18-year-old signed with his dad’s old team after leaving Chelsea’s academy in February last year. “Couldn’t be more proud of you,” Didier (40) said on social media soon after the signing.
It remains to be seen if the youngster can beat his dad’s stellar record. The Ivorian former striker has four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and a Uefa Champions League title to his name.
TIMOTHY WEAH
The striker – son of Africa’s only Ballon d’Or winner, Liberian president George Weah – is on loan to Celtic from Paris Saint-Germain.
He made his first-team debut for PSG in March 2018 before netting his first goal in a French Super Cup game against Monaco in the same month. Timothy (19) is following in the footsteps of his father, who first made a name for himself as a centre-forward with the Parisians.
George (52), who also played for AC Milan and Chelsea in his prime, had some tips for his son. “He gave me some pointers, like an easy way to score is to shoot from across the goal,” Timothy said. “He taught me that and now I use it a lot.”
JUSTIN KLUIVERT
The 19-year-old is the son of Patrick Kluivert, who in his heyday won the Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam before moving to Barcelona. Justin looked set to emulate his dad’s success when he debuted for Ajax’s first team at 17 – a year younger than when Patrick made his full debut.
Four months later he earned his first call-up to the Dutch national team and while there was speculation he’d join Man United, in June 2018 he signed with Roma.
It’s a move his father sanctions. “I think United would have been too big a jump,” Patrick (42) said. “[Roma] is the ideal place for Justin right now. He doesn’t talk much, but he’s someone who knows how to listen and is motivated.”
RIVALDINHO
The Dinamo BucureŞti striker – born Rivaldo Vitor Mosca Ferreira – is the son of Rivaldo (46), whose overhead kick from the edge of the box against Valencia in 2001 during his time at Barcelona is still discussed reverently by football fans.
The 23-year-old’s career path originally followed his father’s as he started at the same club, Brazil’s Mogi Mirim, 22 years later. But after playing for five clubs in two seasons, Rivaldinho signed with BucureŞti in February 2017.
He might not go on to conquer Europe like his father, but Rivaldo is a proud papa. “Congratulations,” he wrote on social media. “God bless you in this new phase of your life, it’s time to focus.”
KASPER SCHMEICHEL
Kasper (32) and dad Peter (55) are the first father-son duo to have played for Denmark in a world cup. In fact, they’re the first set of goalkeepers in the world to do so.
The young Dane broke another record in June 2018 when he went 534 minutes without conceding a goal, beating Peter’s 1995 record of 470 minutes.
And he has his dad to thank for grooming him from a young age. “When I was a kid and my dad was playing for Man United, I used to stand behind the goal watching Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Mark Hughes, Andrei Kanchelskis, Ryan Giggs . . . and I used to try to save all their shots that went wide.”
ENZO ZIDANE
French legend Zinedine Zidane’s eldest son started his career with Los Blancos but in 2017 was sold to Alavés. He lasted six months there before being sold to FC LausanneSport. In May 2018 he returned to Spain to play on loan for Rayo Majadahonda.
It’s been hard to find his feet, particularly because of his dad’s success on and off the field, Enzo (23) says. Zizou (46) was a star player then won three consecutive Champions League titles as manager of Madrid.
“People compare you, criticise you, want more from you and say you’re there because you’re somebody’s son,” Enzo says. “I try not to think about it. The most important thing is my family are proud of me.”
GIOVANNI SIMEONE
Talented striker Giovanni (23) is the son of Argentine legend Diego Simeone (48), who’s manager of Atletico Madrid.
Having netted 14 goals in 40 appearances for Fiorentina, Giovanni’s form was so impressive he was linked with a move to his dad’s club.
But Diego denied the rumour. “My son has everything to play under me but I’ll never sign him,” he said. “I never want to totally rule the possibility out, but it would be difficult to have a son in the locker room. It would be difficult for him, for me, for the relationship . . . and besides, right now he’s doing great.”