For fans of a certain vintage, the new generation emerging will have them feeling all misty-eyed – either because of fond memories or how old they’ll feel.
From Erling Haaland and Marcus Thuram, to Giovanni Reyna and Justin Kluivert, European football is now peppered by the offspring of players from a bygone era.
And there’s already another wave behind them building momentum. Academies throughout Europe bear the responsibility of nurturing some hallowed names, so who will be the next prodigy to carve out their own career over the next few years?
Shaqueel van Persie, 13 (Feyenoord)
Arsene Wenger wanted Robin van Persie’s son to join Arsenal’s academy when he was still playing for the Gunners and he declined. Now, we could one day see a second Van Persie break Arsenal hearts. Shaqueel already looks like a reincarnation of his dad and his sublime acrobatic volley for Feyenoord’s Under-15s versus Ajax was classic RvP. It’s probably not a great surprise to many the 13-year-old striker is now twinning his dad on the pitch, given the pair have gone viral in the past for their synchronised skill videos.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, 10 (Juventus)
It’s often said that Cristiano Ronaldo was created in a lab, so there’s every chance he’s simply cloned himself to create Cristiano Jr. Indeed, it was revealed last year that CR7 Jr had scored 58 goals and provided 18 assists in 28 games for Juve’s U-9s, which is the type of numbers Ronaldo would probably expect from his clone. There’s also the remarkable fact that the age difference between Junior and Thiago Messi (Leo’s eldest) is 869 days, which is exactly the same as the two fathers. Ronaldo senior will certainly hope his boy can supplant Messi’s in the future and the Portuguese icon is confident he has the skills, telling DAZN “he has that drive, a good body, he is fast, has skills and he shoots good”.
Tomas Angel, 16 (Atlético Nacional)
If a young player features in the Guardian’s Next Generation series, then there’s a decent chance we’ll be hearing more of them in the future. In the case of Tomas Angel, that’s almost a guarantee considering he’s the son of Colombia legend Juan Pablo. The 16-year-old forward joined Atletico Nacional earlier this year and although he’s stationed with the U-17s, he’s been training with the seniors already. The Guardian notes that Angel is “mature beyond his tender years, boasting exquisite technique and a sweet left foot”, from the viral videos we’ve seen in the past, that all rings true.
Shane Kluivert, 13 (Barcelona)
The Maldini’s have long been the finest lineage in football, but the Kluivert’s aren’t too far behind these days. Justin is still only 21 and although he didn’t deliver on the promise he showed at Ajax with Roma, there’s still plenty of time. He is allowing younger brother Shane to catch him up, though. The 13-year-old is at dad Patrick’s former club Barcelona having moved from Paris Saint-Germain three years ago. There’s already enormous interest in Shane’s development as he has close to 400,000 followers on Instagram. No doubt the hype surrounding his first Nike contract, signed when he was just nine, played its part, but by all accounts he is a talented kid. He features for Barca’s U-14s and has even expanded his interests off the pitch, vlogging about his passion for the culinary world and releasing a cookbook. He has all the ingredients to become a big star.
Cristian Totti, 14 (Roma)
Want to gauge just how much pressure there already is on Cristian Totti, then just look at the incensed reaction from Roma fans when Francesco suggested he would not block his son from joining Lazio. Don’t rule that out, though, considering Totti’s relationship with the club is so corroded, he won’t even step foot in the Giallorossi’s academy to watch his son play. Still, the young forward is with the U-15s and naturally, he’s one of the most talked-about youth prospects in Rome. As with all young players, his position isn’t cemented, but there’s no doubt about what number he would inherit if he did make the grade.
Maximilian & Vincent Ibrahimovic, 14 & 12 (Hammarby)
Zlatan’s sons are as journeyed as him these days. They’ve been with PSG, Manchester United and LA Galaxy, but according to reports in Sweden both Maximilian and Vincent are now with Hammarby, the Allsvenskan outfit Zlatan part owns. Not much is actually known other than Maxi is a midfielder, Vincent is a winger and they’re both better than Zlatan’s PSG team-mates. The Swede comically had to apologise back in 2012 when he unleashed fury on his team-mates in a half-time outburst, saying his sons (four and six at the time) were better than them.
