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There is always a lot of pressure on young players attempting to become a professional footballer at the highest level. That pressure is increased manifold when the youngster in question is the son of a famous footballer.
Some players succumb to the pressure of filling their fathers’ boots, while others thrive under such pressure just like carbon turning into a diamond.
Examples of sons who couldn’t replicate the success of their fathers include Jordi Cruyff, the son of Johan Cruyff or Rivaldinho, the son of Rivaldo.
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On the other side of the spectrum are players like Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Pepe Reina and Gonzalo Higuain who have surpassed the legacy of their fathers or at least come close to it.
There are several youngsters currently playing in Europe’s major leagues who are sons of famous footballers. These players still have a long career ahead of them but have taken massive steps in emulating the success of their fathers.
Note: Only players aged 23 and below have been included
#5 Federico Chiesa - son of Enrico Chiesa
Fiorentina’s Federico Chiesa is the son of former Italian striker Enrico Chiesa. Enrico notably played for the likes of Cremonese, Sampdoria, Parma, Fiorentina, Lazio and Siena as well as the Italian national team.
Federico came through the academy of his father’s former club Fiorentina and made his professional debut for the Viola against Juventus in the first game of the 2016/17 season.
The 20-year-old is a versatile player capable of operating as a winger, forward, an attacking midfielder or even as a central midfielder.
He has been a regular for Fiorentina in the last two seasons and has so far played 73 games for the club scoring 11 times and assisting 8 more. In 2018, Federico also made his debut for the Italian national team and has five caps for Azzurri so far.
The youngster has been linked with a host of top European clubs in recent years but a couple more seasons with Fiorentina playing regularly could be massively beneficial for his development.
#4 Timothy Weah - son of George Weah
Timothy Weah’s father needs no introduction. But in the event that you have not read about him, George Weah is the first and to date the only African player to win the Ballon d’Or.
George had a prolific career as a striker before entering politics and becoming the current President of Liberia.
His son, Timothy, was born in the US and raised there. In fact, unlike his father who played for Liberia, Timothy plays for the United States football team.
Timothy joined the Academy of Paris Saint-Germain in 2014, the same club for whom his father played for three seasons scoring 55 times.
The 18-year-old scored his first competitive goal for PSG in a 4-0 win over AS Monaco in this year’s Trophée des Champions. The following week, he started PSG’s first Ligue 1 game of the season and scored another goal in an eventual 3-0 win.
In 2018, he also made his debut for the United State’s senior team and scored in a friendly against Bolivia to become the fourth youngest goalscorer for the team.
#3 Giovanni Simeone - son of Diego Simeone
Federico Chiesa is not the only son of a famous footballer at Fiorentina. His partner in crime, Giovanni Simeone is the son of former Argentina player and current Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone.
Giovanni, also known as El Cholito, started his career with River Plate in Argentina before moving to Genoa in 2016.
In his debut season in Europe, Giovanni scored 13 goals in 36 games. His performance for Genoa caught the eye of several clubs and it was fellow Serie A club, Fiorentina, that signed him ahead of the 2017/18 season.
The 23-year-old scored 14 goals in 38 league games in 2017/18 and took steps to come out of his father’s shadow. This season, he has already opened his goal tally in the first league game and his father was in the stands to see him score.
He has been linked with several European giants in the summer including his father’s Atletico Madrid. It would be incredible to see Giovanni play under his father Diego.
#2 Justin Kluivert - son of Patrick Kluivert
Justin Kluivert is the son of the famous Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert. Patrick notably played for Ajax, AC Milan and Barcelona, winning numerous trophies with his first club Ajax.
Like his father, Justin is also a product of the famed Ajax youth system. However, he didn’t have the success of his father with the Dutch giants. Nevertheless, he played 56 games for Ajax scoring 13 times.
The 2016/17 season was his breakthrough season and at the end of it, he was given the AFC Ajax Talent of the Future award (Sjaak Swart Award).
This summer, Justin moved to AS Roma although there was interest in him from other clubs including Manchester United.
Justin’s father also moved to the Serie A from Ajax, albeit to a different club. Now it remains to be seen if the 19-year-old winger can emulate the success of his father.
#1 Leroy Sané - son of Souleyman Sané
Leroy Sane’s father, Souleyman Sané, is not the most famous father in this list but his son, Leroy, is definitely the most notable and famous in comparison.
Souleyman Sané played for German clubs throughout his career and also represented Senegal at the international level. Interestingly, he married German Olympian Regina Weber.
Leroy started his career with Schalke after coming through the club’s famed academy. He played 57 games for the club scoring 13 times before moving to Manchester City in 2016.
It took him some time to adapt to a new league but he still managed 9 goals and 6 assists in his debut season. The following season, he was one of Manchester City’s standout performer as they won the league in a record-breaking season.
Sane racked up 14 goals and 19 assists in 49 games across all competition. His tally of 15 goals in the league was only bettered by teammate Kevin De Bruyne in Europe’s Top 5 leagues. The 22-year-old was also named the PFA Young Player of the Year for his heroics.
Still only 22 and under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, Sane can go on to be one of the best players in the world.
