Football is a sport where to succeed you must be blessed with the motivation to be the best and have the natural talent to stand above the rest, and for some players, it is their footballer parents who give their sons with the latter.
Fathers and sons, as well as mothers and daughters, are very common in football, with some clubs even having entire generations of families play for the same club, with AC Milan seeing three different Maldini’s represent the first team at some point in the last 70 years.
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Indeed, as time passes, more and more players who are considered legends of the game are now seeing their offspring make their first steps into football, with last season alone seeing the son of Didier Drogba and the grandson of Ian Wright make their professional debuts.
Yet in this list, we want to look at those who come from royal blood in football and actually developed into top players, with some names on this list still at the start of their careers but will likely go on to become incredible at some point down the line.
Kasper Schmeichel
There’s really only one player to start with on this list, and that is of course Kasper Schmeichel, who to this day remains the only player to follow in the footsteps of his father and win the Premier League.
One of the best keepers in England and a legend for Leicester City, Schmeichel might never have reached the heights of the iconic Peter Schmeichel, but there’s no denying that Kasper has had a phenomenal career, with the 35-year-old still going strong in the Premier League.
Federico Chiesa
A star for Juventus and one of the players of Euro 2020, Federico Chiesa is one of the most entertaining players to watch in Italy, and his father, Enrico, would be proud of just how far the 24-year-old has come already in his career.
A striker who played a handful of times for the Italian national team, Chiesa senior had a remarkable career that took him all across Italy, winning silverware at the likes of Sampdoria, Parma, and most famously, ACF Fiorentina, the club where Federico would begin his footballing journey.
Timothy Weah
George Weah still remains the only African player to win the Ballon d’Or, yet his son, Timothy, instead opted to play for the United States, with the 22-year-old Brooklyn-born attacker one of many players tipped to play a role in America’s current golden generation.
A versatile forward for LOSC Lille, Weah has spent the majority of his career in France, coming through the PSG academy and spending time on loan with Celtic before winning the Ligue 1 title with Les Dogues, with many hopeful that the attacker can replicate even just a pinch of what his father George accomplished, minus being president of Liberia, though.
Ianis Hagi
Being the son of arguably the most decorated and famous sportsman from your entire country puts a little bit of pressure on your footballing career, yet so far for Ianis Hagi, the Romanian international has impressed wherever he has played.
A dynamic attacking midfielder for Rangers, the youngster has shown plenty of promise with the Scottish side that he can become a top player in the future, and with Galatasaray reportedly interested in Hagi, it appears that fate is keen to take control of the Romanian’s career.
Giovanni Reyna
As mentioned with Weah, the US is undergoing something of a golden generation, and Giovanni Reyna is just another player who America are banking on the develop into a top talent someday in the future.
The son of former Rangers and Manchester City star Claudio Reyna, the Borussia Dortmund talent has been one of the German side’s best players over the past two seasons, and at just 19, the Sunderland-born American international has the potential to become one of the best in the world if he can continue his progress and remain injury-free.
Giovanni Simeone
Diego Simeone was known during his playing days as a no-nonsense midfielder who wouldn’t take slack from anyone, which is why it is such a surprise that his son, Giovanni, is the complete opposite to his legendary father.
A star striker in Serie A who is now reportedly wanted by the likes of Arsenal, Simeone, at 26-years-old, has carved out a good career for himself in Italy, with the attacker a regular for the Argentine national team and this summer set for a big move away from Cagliari after a phenomenal season out on loan with Hellas Verona.
Erling Haaland
Alf Inge Haaland had a modest career in the Premier League for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City, almost 20 years on since leaving the Premier League, his son, Erling, now looks set to dominate the division.
A £51m signing for City this summer, Haaland is arguably one of the best strikers already in football and looks set to become an icon of the game if he can continue his goalscoring record in Manchester, with the 21-year-old attacker already injecting fear into those in the Premier League who don’t support the reigning champions.
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