Cristiano Ronaldo Jr.

Lastwolf

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Only got 14 caps for Italy, was he really a "top" player?
There wasn't as many international games back then, for example Italy qualified for the World cup in 1962 by playing 2 games against Israel, they then got promptly knocked out, so the entire campaign including qualifying was 5 games. Italy didn't even qualify for the world cup this year and their campaign was 9 games.

He played >400 times for AC Milan, won four leagues and a European Cup, he is also in the Italian football hall of fame apparently, so I'd gather he was alright.
 

Thiagoal

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Alex and Darren Ferguson?

Ooh and did anyone mention Daley and Danny Blind?
 

TwoSheds

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Théo and Lucas Hernandez both play at a pretty high standard. Perhaps Théo is the "top player" though?
 

khoazany

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Don’t wanna discuss too much about a kid this young - too many things that can happen. But he looks decent without being special on the little that I have seen and hardly unmissable so I don’t see this as anything resembling a big deal. We have lost bigger talents around this age in the past.
 

Bojan Djordjic

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The Thuram's Lillian, Marcus and Khephren. The Forlan's (three generations of Diego's family have represented Uruguay at world cups from memory), the Simeones, Maldinis, Ian Wright and his sons (who may not be biological??). Absolutely loads. Biggest predictive indicator that you will be a professional sportsperson is if either of your parents were one.

Look forward to tracking the progress of Sergio Aguero's kid with Maradonna's daughter in the future.
 

Bigsid

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Its hardly significant. In fact as regards united players the chance currently stands at zero. Despite hearing of various players sons being in or around our academy over the last 25 years not one has played a Premier League game with us. They would automatically get in our academy due to their Fathers but means very little in their chances of playing in our first team.
 
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pascell

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Its hardly that significant. Yes theres a few but its hardly a massive number. Would be same if Dads were dentists looking at number of dentists. Been loads of shopkeepers who have had foorballers


Its hardly significant. In fact as regards united players the chance currently stands at zero. Despite hearing of various players sons being in or around our academy over the last 25 years not one has played a Premier League game with us. They would automatically get in our academy due to their Fathers but means very little in their chances of playing in our first team.
Not sure what it is, but something suggests to me that you find it to be hardly significant.
 

Bojan Djordjic

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Its hardly that significant. Yes theres a few but its hardly a massive number. Would be same if Dads were dentists looking at number of dentists. Been loads of shopkeepers who have had foorballers


Its hardly significant. In fact as regards united players the chance currently stands at zero. Despite hearing of various players sons being in or around our academy over the last 25 years not one has played a Premier League game with us. They would automatically get in our academy due to their Fathers but means very little in their chances of playing in our first team.
With all due respect its nothing like that. That's a case of sticking to the family business. In the case of sportspeople its a genetic predisposition to being very good at sports. It doesn't mean that shopkeepers can't have kids that are good at footballers, it just means that the population of kids in football academy's that have parents successful in sports is going to be way higher than to any other profession proportionally. It also doesn't mean that they have to be international calibre footballers like the Thurams.

Eden Hazards parents were both semi professional footballers. I'm Irish and in an Irish context, Liam Delap, Graham Kavanagh, Stephen Ireland and Mark Kinsella all have children at various stages of professional footballing careers. Mark Kinsella's daughter has even represented Great Britain in gymnastics.
 

Bigsid

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With all due respect its nothing like that. That's a case of sticking to the family business. In the case of sportspeople its a genetic predisposition to being very good at sports. It doesn't mean that shopkeepers can't have kids that are good at footballers, it just means that the population of kids in football academy's that have parents successful in sports is going to be way higher than to any other profession proportionally. It also doesn't mean that they have to be international calibre footballers like the Thurams.

Eden Hazards parents were both semi professional footballers. I'm Irish and in an Irish context, Liam Delap, Graham Kavanagh, Stephen Ireland and Mark Kinsella all have children at various stages of professional footballing careers. Mark Kinsella's daughter has even represented Great Britain in gymnastics.
Loads of footballers Dads worked in factories too. Just would never be in press. Genetics maybe but you would get more opportunities in a sport your Dad played in due to contacts. Like Romeo Beckham! No other Miami player end up in Brentfords B team.
 

Bojan Djordjic

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I'm struggling to think of a single example of a top player's son going on to reach the top.
There's loads of examples. Maldini, Forlan (father and grandfather all Uruguayan internationals), Jordi Cryuff (played for Braca and Holland), Ian Wright and his sons, Xabi Alonso's Dad won la liga twice, Justin Kluivert, Marcus and Khepren Thuram, sons of WC winner LIlian, Hagi, Zidane, Simeone and Weah all have sons playing high level football.
 

Trequarista10

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Sir Alex's son Darren was a very good player.

Weirdly he didn't take his father's surname, and went by Fletcher instead! :angel:
 

arthurka

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No way Ronaldo scored that from his first try. He hasn't scored one well since that attempt number 189.
 

RedRonaldo

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There's loads of examples. Maldini, Forlan (father and grandfather all Uruguayan internationals), Jordi Cryuff (played for Braca and Holland), Ian Wright and his sons, Xabi Alonso's Dad won la liga twice, Justin Kluivert, Marcus and Khepren Thuram, sons of WC winner LIlian, Hagi, Zidane, Simeone and Weah all have sons playing high level football.
Thats true, plenty of top players' son reaching top level of football.

But if its the case of top players son turning into top players too, there's probably less than a few I could remember.

Actually I think the closet one is probably Chiesa. The father was UEFA top scorer in 98-99 and won Serie A Player of season award from some magazine in 96, and scored 210 goals over his career (majority of games/goals in Serie A, the best league in the world during that period). He also won a number of domestic and European trophies with various club there.

While the son is currently one of top player in Serie A, won best Italian player award voted by fans in 21, included in team of the tournament in Euro 20 and Serie A season 20-21, also has been capped 44 times by Italy scoring 7 goals.
 

Snow

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There's loads of examples. Maldini, Forlan (father and grandfather all Uruguayan internationals), Jordi Cryuff (played for Braca and Holland), Ian Wright and his sons, Xabi Alonso's Dad won la liga twice, Justin Kluivert, Marcus and Khepren Thuram, sons of WC winner LIlian, Hagi, Zidane, Simeone and Weah all have sons playing high level football.
Javier Hernandez's dad and grandad were Mexican internationals.

Kasper Schmeichel, Eiður Guðjohnsen, Haaland, Larsson to name some Nordics. Brennan Johnson's dad was in our FA Youth Cup winning team with Phil Neville.
 

AltiUn

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Javier Hernandez's dad and grandad were Mexican internationals.

Kasper Schmeichel, Eiður Guðjohnsen, Haaland, Larsson to name some Nordics. Brennan Johnson's dad was in our FA Youth Cup winning team with Phil Neville.
Very off tangent story but I met someone who claimed he played with Hernandez in Mexico as a youth player shortly after he joined United. He joined our team for a friendly against a Dutch team while we were doing a mini tour abroad, our coach asked if he wanted to play as we’d had a spate of injuries and he agreed. He played about an hour he decimated the opposition, was apparently in Europe for trials in France, never caught his name and God knows if he ever made it but I always think of that day whenever Hernandez is mentioned. Whether he was actually mates with Hernandez or not I’ll never know but he was a cracking player.
 

Snow

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Very off tangent story but I met someone who claimed he played with Hernandez in Mexico as a youth player shortly after he joined United. He joined our team for a friendly against a Dutch team while we were doing a mini tour abroad, our coach asked if he wanted to play as we’d had a spate of injuries and he agreed. He played about an hour he decimated the opposition, was apparently in Europe for trials in France, never caught his name and God knows if he ever made it but I always think of that day whenever Hernandez is mentioned. Whether he was actually mates with Hernandez or not I’ll never know but he was a cracking player.
Don't see a reason not to believe that. If you're at least half decent at football chances are you'll play with or against someone that makes it. Injuries wreck a good portion of those with the talent and determination to go pro and some just get unlucky.

Speaking of legacies, both of Mikael Laudrup sons had potential but injuries ruined them both. Caught Mads once live as FCK were playing my team that was in a year below. Easily the best player on the pitch. Still a while at that point to reach pro level and a lot of pressure being the oldest son of a legacy. That's the biggest hurdle those kids need to overcome.