Soccer

Football - Fathers and sons who have made an impact in football

bet365 News Team Published: Mar 02 2022 12:17

Harry Redknapp celebrates his 75th birthday today with the Premier League stalwart something of a favourite among the English football fan base.

The former West Ham, Portsmouth, and Tottenham manager, after leaving Birmingham in 2017, has stepped back from management and had reinvented himself as a reality TV geezer, being crowned king of the jungle in I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here in 2018.

However, the Redknapp family are still part of the footballing tapestry - son Jamie remains a staple of Sky Sports' punditry line up and his evisceration of Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup finals shows there's plenty of mileage left in the tank.

Here are five more chips off the block.

The Schmeichels - Peter and Kasper

The Danish goalkeepers might be father and son but they could be mistaken for twins if you consider only their playing styles.

Peter is widely considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time and he played a huge role in Manchester United becoming the dominant force of the 1990s.

He was known for his enormous, star-shaped dives as he closed out as much of the goal as possible and for his boisterous yelling of instructions to defenders.

Kasper had to do things the harder way - after failing to regularly break into the first time at Manchester City, he had spells with Notts County and Leeds before joining Leicester in 2011.

Always regarded as a good prospect, Schmeichel became his own man in the 2015-16 season as he helped the Foxes to a historic triumph, meaning both he and his dad are the only father and son to both win a Premier League title.

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The Bruces - Steve and Alex

If you were playing the word association game and your opponent said "beleaguered", then Steve Bruce would be an acceptable retort.

The former hard-nosed centre-back has struggled managerially in recent times but it should not be forgotten what a brilliant defender he was during his peak years at Manchester United.

Bruce was also responsible for the birth of "Fergie Time" his late late winner against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 was a huge step towards United winning the inaugural Premier League title.

His son Alex didn't have quite the same career but was a solid pro nonetheless, playing most of his football in the Championship.

He actually left Birmingham in 2006 while his dad was in charge to escape the nepotism claims and become his own man - before joining Hull in 2012 under his dad's stewardship.

The Cruyffs - John and Jordi

Now we're talking - Johan Cruyff is one of the magicians this sport has produced over the years.

The poster boy for the pioneering "Total Football" adopted by the Dutch, Cruyff was a sensation during the 1970s and his legacy will last on the game forever - even if only talking about the drag back "Cruyff Turn" trick.

He won multiple Eredivisie's and European Cups with Ajax in his homeland before departing for Barcelona where he conquered La Liga.

No pressure then Jordi, There's no doubt that Johan's boy was a good player but his career never really took off despite early promise.

He spent four years at Manchester United but with Paul Scholes, David Beckham, and Ryan Giggs in the side, Cruyff Jr found it tough to break through, while injuries didn't help either.

Deportivo La Coruna came calling in 200 and he went on to have a decent career before retiring in 2010 after a spell playing in Malta.

The Lampards - Frank Sr and Frank Jr

A rare example where the son outshone the father during his career. The elder Frank was a good player in his own right, spending 18 years at West as a left-back and playing twice for England in the process.

However, his namesake is regarded as one of the best Premier League midfielders of all time with Frank Jr winning pretty much everything there is to win at club level.

Like his dad, he began his career at West Ham before moving on to Chelsea in 2001, in a glorious partnership that would last for well over a decade.

It is a testament to Lampard's ability that he remained a total mainstay of the Blues team, even after Roman Abramovich started ploughing millions into the playing staff.

He became Chelsea's all-time record goalscorer in 2014 and also had an 18-month stint as manager which ended in January last year.

The Maldinis - Cesare and Paolo (And Daniel)

Two generations of footballers is impressive enough - three is something remarkable.

Like the Lmapards, it is the son who is more well-known, even though Cesare was a world-class operator in his own right, winning four Serie A titles with AC Milan as well as the European Cup in 1963.

However, Paolo is still hailed as one of the greatest defenders of all-time with his reading of the game, temperament, and longevity highlighted as his best attributes.

Trophies were won for fun and Maldini is one of those players whom other world-class pros have nothing but praise and admiration for - a la Paul Scholes.

Maldini is perhaps the ultimate one-club man, playing 902 times for AC Milan between 1985 and 2009 while also earning 126 Italy caps.

If all that wasn't enough, then Maldini Mk III is making a name for himself too, with Daniel - an attacking midfielder - hovering around the fringes of the Rossoneri first team. That's one impressive gene pool.