Remember the name

Kluivert, Gudjohnsen (Eidur and dad Arnar), Giovannia and Claudio Reyna, Chiesa, Giovanni and Diego Simeone, Ianis and Gheorge Hagi, Jordan and Henrik Larsson

Norway has a bunch of them now

Erik Thorstvedt and his son Kristian who plays for Norway and Genk in Belgium
Lars Bohinen and son Emil Bohinen who plays for Norway u21 and just signed for CSKA Moscow
Alf Inge Håland apparently got a son as well - not sure how he is doing. Probably nothing special :)

And the amazing Berg-family. Grandfather Harald Berg played 43 times for Norway - he got 3 sons Runar who was part of the great Rosenborg-team in the 90s, Ørjan who also played for Rosenborg and got about 20 caps, and their youngest brother Arild who was the biggest talent of them all but decided to stop playing at an early age and had a lot of mental problems. Ørjan got a son Patrick Berg who is now a Norwegian international.
 
Kluivert, Gudjohnsen (Eidur and dad Arnar), Giovannia and Claudio Reyna, Chiesa, Giovanni and Diego Simeone, Ianis and Gheorge Hagi, Jordan and Henrik Larsson

Norway has a bunch of them now

Erik Thorstvedt and his son Kristian who plays for Norway and Genk in Belgium
Lars Bohinen and son Emil Bohinen who plays for Norway u21 and just signed for CSKA Moscow
Alf Inge Håland apparently got a son as well - not sure how he is doing. Probably nothing special :)

And the amazing Berg-family. Grandfather Harald Berg played 43 times for Norway - he got 3 sons Runar who was part of the great Rosenborg-team in the 90s, Ørjan who also played for Rosenborg and got about 20 caps, and their youngest brother Arild who was the biggest talent of them all but decided to stop playing at an early age and had a lot of mental problems. Ørjan got a son Patrick Berg who is now a Norwegian international.
To add to this;

George and Timothy Weah;
Lillian and Marcus Thuram;
Danny and Daley Blind.
 
Marcos Alonso's Grandad Marcos Alonso won 5 European Cups for Real Madrid. Marcos Alonso's Dad Marcos Alonso, the son of Marcos Alonso played for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
How many people did they kill while drunk driving?
 
You can see from that video above that he'll never have the focus or attitude to be a great footballer.

Plus, he'll be the wrong side of 30 in less than 2 decades. What a waste of money.
 
No, I just don’t think a big enough deal is made of it.
Why not just make a statement about that rather than making an embarrassingly bad joke by anyone's standards?
 
To be fair, I played against his Dad when we were 12 or 13 and he scored 4 before being subbed at half time. I was playing centre back. He turned out OK in the end.
 
I was thinking about this with Schmeichel. How many Dad-Son combos where both are relatively successful?

Frank Lampard / his Dad was one.

I don’t think Ian Wright/ SWP quite fits

Haarland?
 
Kluivert, Gudjohnsen (Eidur and dad Arnar), Giovannia and Claudio Reyna, Chiesa, Giovanni and Diego Simeone, Ianis and Gheorge Hagi, Jordan and Henrik Larsson

Norway has a bunch of them now

Erik Thorstvedt and his son Kristian who plays for Norway and Genk in Belgium
Lars Bohinen and son Emil Bohinen who plays for Norway u21 and just signed for CSKA Moscow
Alf Inge Håland apparently got a son as well - not sure how he is doing. Probably nothing special :)

And the amazing Berg-family. Grandfather Harald Berg played 43 times for Norway - he got 3 sons Runar who was part of the great Rosenborg-team in the 90s, Ørjan who also played for Rosenborg and got about 20 caps, and their youngest brother Arild who was the biggest talent of them all but decided to stop playing at an early age and had a lot of mental problems. Ørjan got a son Patrick Berg who is now a Norwegian international.

Sweden too. Anders Linderoth and Tobias Linderoth. As you named, Henrik and Jordan Larsson. Jonas Thern and Simon Thern. Nicklas Alexandersson and Noah Alexandersson. Magnus Erlingmark and August Erlingmark, Roy Andersson with his sons Patrik and Daniel. Glenn Hysén and Tobias Hysén. Ove and Niclas Kindvall. Rade Prica and Tim Prica. Joseph Elanga and Anthony Elanga... Especially many from the 94 Sweden team who has sons who play professionally - it was apparently a wild summer...
 
Why not just make a statement about that rather than making an embarrassingly bad joke by anyone's standards?
I just don’t think he should get away with it so easily and when his name is mentioned it should include an asterisk. I was talking to a Chelsea fan during the cup final who didn’t even know about it. Not a thread to discuss the morals of Marcos Alonso though so I’ll leave it there.
 
I think Kai needs the following for people to remember the name.

  • Ten percent luck
  • Twenty percent skill
  • Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
  • Five percent pleasure
  • Fifty percent pain
  • And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

This needs some appreciation :lol:
 
Wasn't Chicharito the 3rd in his family to play for Mexico, following his grandad and dad?
 
Why not just make a statement about that rather than making an embarrassingly bad joke by anyone's standards?

Why are you getting so worked up over a joke?
 
Scored a free kick in that game vs. Stoke.

 
Re: footballers kids making it as pros.

My completely unsubstantiated theory is that it is relatively rare in previous generations, in part due to the fact football is largely a working class sport:

Although obviously training with a professional club from a young age helps, something kids of professionals have an advantage with, my impression is most who make it are obsessed. The kids who are not only naturally talented but who play every opportunity of every day, not just organized games and training at a young age. The ones that play every break time at school, kickabouts at the local park with mates or on the streets. It's also more common for kids from relatively poorer backgrounds to make it, which makes sense. Less distractions, toys, trips etc, less emphasis on school work, more likely to live on an estate/residential area that is more densely populated, so more opportunities for a kickabout. Plus an increased desire bordering on desperation to make it. From the kids themselves and the parents. A working class parent who realises their kid has potential to make it will likely see it as the route to financial freedom for the family and do everything to make that happen.

Im contrast, kids from wealth don't have that same pressure or desperation to make it. They're more likely to have attended a private school, they will have plenty of other interests or potential career paths available. They will have friends who invite them for a weekend at the parents villa in France, or a Saturday horse riding, so they won't be playing a knockabout in the local park against kids older than them. Etc etc. Anyone who played as a kid will surely have played with a talented kid who was good but just didn't take football that seriously, it was a bit of fun, the result didn't matter, they couldn't understand why others were getting angry or shouting or being aggressive or diving into challenges. In contrast, I remember being a kid and playing a knockabout game against kids the year above or from another school and winning felt like the most important thing in the world to beat the bastards, running so hard it hurt, knowing losing would mean losing face. Those kids make it.

However, I do wonder/speculate that this trend may change a bit in the coming generation or so. Footballers at the top today and those who haven't recently retired and have kids at academy age now have wealth that blows previous generations out of the water. You see most of these footballers have football pitches in their garden, which must surely be an advantage for kids to play on most days. They can if the choose pay for unlimited coaching for their kids, send them to training camps, network to get them into academies. I also think that the street football, jumpers for goalpost culture is less common these days anyway, so I think more and more it'll be the case that the kids who make it are the ones that hone their skills at academies.

Like I said, pure speculation, but I'd be surprised if people disagreed.
 
Re: footballers kids making it as pros.

My completely unsubstantiated theory is that it is relatively rare in previous generations, in part due to the fact football is largely a working class sport:

Although obviously training with a professional club from a young age helps, something kids of professionals have an advantage with, my impression is most who make it are obsessed. The kids who are not only naturally talented but who play every opportunity of every day, not just organized games and training at a young age. The ones that play every break time at school, kickabouts at the local park with mates or on the streets. It's also more common for kids from relatively poorer backgrounds to make it, which makes sense. Less distractions, toys, trips etc, less emphasis on school work, more likely to live on an estate/residential area that is more densely populated, so more opportunities for a kickabout. Plus an increased desire bordering on desperation to make it. From the kids themselves and the parents. A working class parent who realises their kid has potential to make it will likely see it as the route to financial freedom for the family and do everything to make that happen.

Im contrast, kids from wealth don't have that same pressure or desperation to make it. They're more likely to have attended a private school, they will have plenty of other interests or potential career paths available. They will have friends who invite them for a weekend at the parents villa in France, or a Saturday horse riding, so they won't be playing a knockabout in the local park against kids older than them. Etc etc. Anyone who played as a kid will surely have played with a talented kid who was good but just didn't take football that seriously, it was a bit of fun, the result didn't matter, they couldn't understand why others were getting angry or shouting or being aggressive or diving into challenges. In contrast, I remember being a kid and playing a knockabout game against kids the year above or from another school and winning felt like the most important thing in the world to beat the bastards, running so hard it hurt, knowing losing would mean losing face. Those kids make it.

However, I do wonder/speculate that this trend may change a bit in the coming generation or so. Footballers at the top today and those who haven't recently retired and have kids at academy age now have wealth that blows previous generations out of the water. You see most of these footballers have football pitches in their garden, which must surely be an advantage for kids to play on most days. They can if the choose pay for unlimited coaching for their kids, send them to training camps, network to get them into academies. I also think that the street football, jumpers for goalpost culture is less common these days anyway, so I think more and more it'll be the case that the kids who make it are the ones that hone their skills at academies.

Like I said, pure speculation, but I'd be surprised if people disagreed.

Depends what you consider wealth - in Scandinavia very few people are poor - I guess you could say that 60-70% would be considered at least middle class. Meaning they are not rich, but they will afford to go to the practice they want, go on vacations etc - yet they are among the best in sports in general. But when it comes to the really rich ones, you could very well have a point. But was this really more common 30 years ago when footballers weren't extremely wealthy ? I have a hard time remembering that many footballers in the 80s and 90s who had a really good footballer as a dad. I know of some of course - but not that many
 
I saw my mate, the other day
He said to me he's seen the white Pele('s son!)
So I asked, who is he? He goes by the name of the Wayne Rooney('s son!)

Wayne Rooney('s son!)
Wayne Rooney('s son!)
He goes by the name of the Wayne Rooney('s son!)
 
Marcos Alonso's Grandad Marcos Alonso won 5 European Cups for Real Madrid. Marcos Alonso's Dad Marcos Alonso, the son of Marcos Alonso played for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

And Finn Laudrup and his son's Michael and Brian. Maybe it's a danish thing
 
It's rare as feck.

Remember that Business Insider article a couple of years ago, that stated, that the chance of playing in the PL for the 1,5 million players who are playing organized youth football in England is a mere 0,012%. Sure, being a descendent of a sporting legend will help a bit when it comes to networking, understanding of training, and diet, but genetics can't just be reduced to "well his dad was good, why isn't he then?".
David Epstein, the author of the Sport's Gene would contradict you. Paraphrasing him but he says that the single best indicator that you will become an elite athlete is if either of your parents were.

The Maldini's and the Forlan's are great examples of sporting dynasties. Might be misremembering but I think Diego Forlan was the third generation of his family to play in a world cup for Uruguay. Paolo Maldini's Dad and son have both played for Milan.
 
David Epstein, the author of the Sport's Gene would contradict you. Paraphrasing him but he says that the single best indicator that you will become an elite athlete is if either of your parents were.

The Maldini's and the Forlan's are great examples of sporting dynasties. Might be misremembering but I think Diego Forlan was the third generation of his family to play in a world cup for Uruguay. Paolo Maldini's Dad and son have both played for Milan.
Bet your notifications have been a bit quieter recently.
 
David Epstein, the author of the Sport's Gene would contradict you. Paraphrasing him but he says that the single best indicator that you will become an elite athlete is if either of your parents were.

The Maldini's and the Forlan's are great examples of sporting dynasties. Might be misremembering but I think Diego Forlan was the third generation of his family to play in a world cup for Uruguay. Paolo Maldini's Dad and son have both played for Milan.
Mentioning two dynasties amongst thousands and thousands that didn’t make it doesn’t contradict the fact, that it’s extremely rare.
 
Mentioning two dynasties amongst thousands and thousands that didn’t make it doesn’t contradict the fact, that it’s extremely rare.

Sorry if I was unclear, the mention of the Forlan's and Maldini's were a separate point and more a general contribution to the thread - not proof of my thesis.

Although, the fact that so many people have mentioned high level professionals with fathers or sons achieving a high standard in the game means it's not actually that rare (relatively speaking), particularly when compared to the general population.
 
I saw my mate, the other day
He said to me he's seen the white Pele('s son!)
So I asked, who is he? He goes by the name of the Wayne Rooney('s son!)

Wayne Rooney('s son!)
Wayne Rooney('s son!)
He goes by the name of the Wayne Rooney('s son!)

I saw my mate, the other day
He said to me he's seen the young Rooney!
So I asked, who is he? He goes by the name of the Kai Rooney

Kai Rooney
Kai Rooney
He goes by the name of the Kai Rooney
 
Football is hereditary. You just need to look at the people who played pro football and their close relatives. You just need to look at people close to our team. Ferdinand brothers, Da Silva brothers, Pogba brothers, Neville brothers, Chicharito and family, Blind and father etc. I’m pretty sure if you look deeper you will even find those that we good at football but up to maybe League 1 or 2 which is still tough for a regular guy