Like Father, Like Son: Football's Famous Families and Their Next Generation

Football has produced several generations of players from the same families. Some have followed their fathers into the same clubs or national teams. Others have developed in different positions, countries and playing styles.

The Maldini family has represented AC Milan across three generations. Lilian Thuram's two sons became France internationals. Erling Haaland has already exceeded his father's goalscoring achievements, while Federico Chiesa is working to regain the form he showed before his serious knee injury.

For younger players such as Shaqueel van Persie, Maximilian Ibrahimović and Jakub Żewłakow, their senior careers are still developing.

We have grouped these players by their current career stage and compared what their fathers achieved. At the end, we select two starting elevens and consider which generation would win.

1. The fathers and their achievements

The previous generation includes World Cup winners, Champions League winners, established internationals and players who spent much of their careers in Europe's major leagues.

The differences between these careers are considerable. Paolo Maldini and Zinédine Zidane spent years competing for major international trophies. Alf-Inge Haaland and Carlos Mac Allister had more modest playing records but produced sons who became important players for their national teams.

Family comparisons are also complicated by playing positions. Daniel Maldini is an attacking midfielder, unlike his father Paolo. Marcus Thuram is a forward, while Lilian Thuram was a defender. Kasper Schmeichel, on the other hand, followed his father Peter into goalkeeping.

2. The established players

Several sons have already spent multiple seasons competing at the highest level.

Erling Haaland

Alf-Inge Haaland spent much of his English career at Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City, principally as a midfielder or defender.

Erling became a centre-forward and established himself as one of Europe's leading goalscorers. In his first season at Manchester City, he scored 36 Premier League goals and helped the club win the treble.

His individual and team achievements have already surpassed those of his father.

Marcus and Khéphren Thuram

Lilian Thuram won the World Cup with France in 1998 and was a regular member of the national team for more than a decade.

His eldest son Marcus became a forward and won Serie A with Inter Milan. His younger son Khéphren developed as a central midfielder, playing for Nice before moving to Juventus.

Both have represented France. Their careers offer an interesting comparison because neither plays the same position as his father.

Alexis Mac Allister

Carlos Mac Allister played as a defender, including spells with Boca Juniors and Racing Club.

Alexis won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina and established himself in the Premier League with Brighton and Liverpool.

His brother Kevin has also built a professional career, playing in defence.

3. Players at a career crossroads

Some players have already demonstrated their ability at senior level but face questions about consistency, playing time or their role at their clubs.

Federico Chiesa

Chiesa was an important member of Italy's Euro 2020-winning team. His performances at Juventus also established him as one of Serie A's prominent attacking players.

He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January 2022. Although he returned to action, his subsequent seasons were affected by changes in form, fitness and playing time.

A transfer to Liverpool followed in 2024. By October 2026, regular starts remained difficult to secure.

At 28, Chiesa has time to rebuild his career, but continuity and availability will be important.

Daniel Maldini

Daniel Maldini represents the third generation of his family to play in Serie A, following Cesare and Paolo.

He made his senior debut with AC Milan and subsequently played for several Italian clubs. Unlike his father and grandfather, he operates primarily in attacking positions.

His form at Cagliari has improved considerably in the opening months of the 2026/27 season. By October, he had scored in four consecutive matches and received another Italy call-up.

The next measure of his progress will be his contribution across a complete league campaign.

Ianis Hagi and Giovanni Reyna

Both players established reputations as technically capable attacking midfielders early in their careers.

Hagi experienced successful periods at Rangers before injuries and transfers interrupted his progress. Reyna became a Bundesliga regular at a young age but has also had repeated problems maintaining availability and playing time.

Their future performance will depend partly on finding stable roles within their respective teams.

4. Young talents and developing careers

The youngest group includes academy graduates, players making their first senior appearances and footballers who have recently moved into stronger leagues.

Shaqueel van Persie

Robin van Persie scored 144 Premier League goals for Arsenal and 48 for Manchester United. He also scored 50 times for the Netherlands.

His son Shaqueel has developed through Feyenoord's academy as an attacking player.

It remains too early to assess how his career will compare with his father's. The immediate indicators are first-team involvement, minutes played and progress at senior level.

Maximilian Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimović had a senior career spanning more than two decades, playing for clubs including Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.

Maximilian progressed through AC Milan's youth system and moved to Ajax on loan in January 2026.

His next career stage will be determined by how successfully he adapts to senior football and establishes regular playing time.

Jakub Żewłakow

Michał Żewłakow earned 102 caps for Poland, primarily as a defender.

Jakub plays further forward and has begun making senior appearances for Legia Warsaw.

In September 2026, he scored twice in stoppage time against Motor Lublin, helping Legia turn a 2–1 deficit into a 3–2 victory. He was subsequently named the Ekstraklasa Young Player of the Month.

The next step is to secure a regular role and produce attacking contributions over a longer period.

5. Fathers XI vs Sons XI: Who would win?

What would happen if the best players from the two generations met?

We selected two starting elevens from the families covered in this article.

For the fathers, we considered each player's career at his peak. For the sons, we selected players based on their senior achievements and demonstrated ability up to October 2026.

Both teams use a 4-3-3 formation. A few positional adjustments are necessary to build balanced sides.

Fathers XI — 4-3-3

The fathers have a strong defensive foundation, although Alf-Inge Haaland would need to operate in a less familiar left-back role.

Schmeichel, Thuram, Maldini and Blind provide substantial defensive experience. Simeone adds defensive coverage in midfield, while Zidane and Hagi would be responsible for creating chances.

Van Persie and Ibrahimović would play as wide forwards moving inside, with Kluivert occupying the centre-forward position.

Sons XI — 4-3-3

The sons have a strong attacking group, with Haaland as centre-forward, Marcus Thuram attacking from the left and Chiesa providing width and direct running on the right.

Alexis Mac Allister would be responsible for controlling possession, with Khéphren Thuram offering physicality and ball progression. Nico Paz provides another creative option between midfield and attack.

The defence is less established at the highest level than the fathers' back line. Ruben Kluivert and Kevin Mac Allister would face a significant challenge against Kluivert, Van Persie and Ibrahimović.

Position-by-position comparison

Our verdict: Fathers XI win 3–2

The fathers would be favourites based on their achievements and quality at their respective peaks.

The greatest difference is in defence and midfield. The combination of Maldini, Thuram, Zidane and Hagi would give the older generation considerable control over the game.

The sons could still create problems. Haaland would be the main goalscoring threat, while Chiesa and Marcus Thuram could exploit space in transition.

A 3–2 win for the fathers is our hypothetical prediction, rather than a statistical simulation.

6. The combined family XI

If we could select one team from both generations, which players would make the starting eleven?

This selection considers players at their career peaks, regardless of generation.

Combined XI — 4-3-3

Three sons make the combined eleven: Daley Blind, Alexis Mac Allister and Erling Haaland.

Haaland is selected for his scoring record at club level. Mac Allister offers a different midfield profile alongside Simeone and Zidane, while Daley Blind fills the left-back position.

There are other reasonable choices. Hagi could replace Mac Allister in a more attacking system. Kluivert could start ahead of Haaland if the team placed greater emphasis on combination play and technical movement.

The selection also highlights the main difference between the generations: the fathers have a larger group of established, elite-level players in defensive positions.

7. Following the next generation

The careers of these players are at very different stages.

Haaland, Marcus Thuram and Alexis Mac Allister have already won major trophies. Chiesa, Hagi and Reyna are working to regain consistency or establish new roles. Shaqueel van Persie, Maximilian Ibrahimović and Jakub Żewłakow are still in the early stages of their senior careers.

That makes comparisons difficult to settle permanently.

Our Like Father, Like Son board on Elevenrate tracks their matches, appearances, minutes, goals, assists and ratings as their careers develop.

It provides a way to follow both established names and younger players across different leagues throughout the season.

Which generation would win your Fathers XI vs Sons XI match? And who would make your combined eleven?