Football facts: Son-father footballer duo to play for national teams

There are plenty of young children who want to follow in their parent's footsteps when they grow up. We have seen many sons follow their fathers in choosing football as their profession and make their name big in this sport. Some of them even perform better than their fathers ever did and are more successful and vice versa. Just like Erling Haaland is making his name big in the sport playing for Norway and Manchester City. His father Alf-Inge Haaland also represented Norway and Manchester City in his career and his son is following in his footsteps. In our latest article on football facts, we bring you a list of seven son-father footballer duo to play for national teams.

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Football facts: Son-father footballer duo to play for national teams

Carlos and Alexis Mac Allister

Only the Mac Allistors can answer who is better: Maradona or Messi? Carlos Mac Allister played with the great Diego Maradona while Alexis is playing with another great, Lionel Messi. Carlos Mac was a successful left-back in Argentina. He claimed three caps for the national team and got the opportunity to play alongside Maradona.

Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister has already won the World Cup with Argentina, playing alongside Messi, and is currently ruling the midfield of Liverpool in the Premier League. The 24-year-old has already left his father behind but that's what a father wants from his son. He has already claimed 25 caps for the national team and scored 2 goals.

Souleyman and Leroy Sane

Souleyman Sane used to score goals for fun throughout his professional career in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Souleyman was a talented young player but was called up to French military service in 1982. He returned to football and shined for SV Donaueschingen. It attracted the attention of a nearby Bundesliga club. He then signed a contract with SC Freiburg in 1985.

He scored 56 goals in 106 games for Freiburg before moving on to FC Nurnberg in 1988 and then SG Wattenscheid in 1990, who were playing in the highest division in Germany at the time. Souleyman scored 39 goals in 117 games at Wattenscheid before moving on to Nurnberg in 1994. He claimed 55 national team caps for Senegal and netted 29 goals.

Leroy Sane made his name in Manchester City before moving to Bayern Munich. He scored 25 goals and 32 assists in 90 Premier League appearances and has scored 40 goals and provided 42 assists in the Bundesliga. The 28-year-old has claimed 59 international caps for Germany, scoring 13 goals for them. He has still plenty of time left in his career to achieve more accolades.

Enrico and Federico Chiesa

Son of Italian great Enrico Chiesa, the 25-year-old has impressed since making his debut for Fiorentina in 2016. After appearing in 153 games for the Italian club, he made a move to the Italian giant Juventus. He has already claimed 45 international caps for Italy, netting 7 goals. Federico played a huge role in Italy's 2020 Euro victory with sensational performances in the campaign.

Meanwhile, his father Enrico played 380 Serie A games, scoring 139 goals, and also claimed 17 international caps for Italy. He netted 7 goals and then between 1999-2002, the forward played for Fiorentina and won Coppa Italia.

Lilian, Khephren, and Marcus Thuram

French legend, Lilian Thuram retired as the most-capped player in the history of the France national team with 142 appearances, winning the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championships. The defender spent a large part of his club career playing in Italy with Parma and Juventus. Son of Lilian, Marcus is currently playing in Serie A with Inter Milan after signing from Bundesliga side Gladbach in the summer. He also appeared in the 2022 World Cup but France lost to Argentina in the Final. Marcus Thuram has already claimed 18 caps for the national team, netting 2 goals.

Meanwhile, young son Khephren Thuram is playing for Nice as a holding man in the midfield. Like Lilian, Khephren also started his professional career with Monaco but played just three times before joining Nice in 2019. He has already appeared in more than 100 matches for Nice so far, and he is one of the most highly-rated young players in Europe. He earned his first national cap recently and hoping to claim more in the future.

Alf-inge and Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland idolizes his father Alf-inge Haaland in every way possible. Alf-inge represented Manchester City, Leeds, and Nottingham Forest, appearing in 181 matches in the Premier League and claimed 34 caps for Norway. He spent his career playing across defence and midfield but his career effectively ended by the Roy Keane tackle in the 2000/01 season. 

Erling did take revenge after joining Manchester City from Dortmund. He scored a hat-trick in his first-ever Manchester derby. The Norwegian has already scored 81 goals in 88 appearances for the blue side of Manchester and has claimed 31 caps for the national team, netting 27 goals already.

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Peter and Kasper Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel is one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the Premier League. The Dane won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and 1 UCL with Manchester United. He also won the treble in the 1998-99 season with the Red Devils, making him one of the few shot-stoppers to ever win the treble. He claimed 121 caps for Denmark and helped his nation to win the UEFA Euro 1992, etching his name in the history books. He is one of the best goalkeepers the world has ever witnessed.

However, following in the footsteps of his father, Kasper Schmeichel did well to make his mark and attain respect in World football. Like his dad, he also possesses a Premier League medal, winning it with Leicester in one of the most shocking triumphs of all time. The father-son duo of Peter and Kasper Schmeichel is one of the rarest pairs in football to win the Premier League title. Six years later in 2021, Kasper also won the FA Cup with Leicester, making the pair only the second father-son duo to win the prestigious trophy. The dance shot-stopper also claimed 100 caps for Denmark.

Claudio and Giovanni Reyna

Giovanni Reyna began his football journey at New York City FC, where his father Claudio Reyna served as sporting director. However, the American star joined Borussia Dortmund and is now seen as a huge player in Dortmund’s future. If he manages to work on his fitness, then he could be a big player for both the US and Dortmund. He is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest. With 26 caps for the United States men’s national team, the 21-year-old Giovanni has a huge path in front of him. He has to carry the Reyna family's legacy, matching his father, who claimed 112 caps for the US International team.