Ten modern era footballing brothers after Jonathan Benteke debut alongside Christian
Published:
Lee Gormley | September 16, 2016
Ten modern era footballing brothers
During the last Premier League fixtures, Crystal Palace managed to earn a narrow 2-1 victory over Northeast outfit Middlesbrough, the first domestic win of the current campaign for Alan Pardew’s side.
The Eagles, 5/2 with Coral for top 10 finish this season, were helped on by new summer signing Christian Benteke, with the Belgium international frontman netting his first goal in new surroundings since arriving from Liverpool.
There was an interesting subplot during proceedings, though, with Benteke’s younger sibling Jonathan having made his senior debut for the London team alongside his brother.
Following the family partnership in the top-flight triumph for Palace, Coral have looked back and outlined five footballing brothers to have featured in the professional game, sometimes alongside or against each other…
Romelu and Jordan Lukaku
Everton frontman Romelu Lukaku has become one of the brightest talents in Europe, having rediscovered his scoring form on the blue half of Merseyside and helping the Toffees earn success in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old Belgium international striker isn’t the only footballing talent in his family, though, with his younger brother Jordan plying his trade for as a left back for Serie A side Lazio and has earned five caps for their country.
Andre and Jordan Ayew
French-born Ghana international stars Andre and Jordan Ayew have both crafted out careers in England, with the former featuring for West Ham United and the latter in the West Midlands with Aston Villa.
London-based Andre is the older of the two brothers by just a year at 26 and has previously starred for Swansea City in the Premier League and Marseille in Ligue 1.
Meanwhile, Jordan was a teammate of his sibling’s in France and the pair are sons of three-time African Footballer of the Year Abedi “Pele” Ayew.
Gary and Phil Neville
Two members of the famous Class of 92′, players to have graduated from Manchester United’s esteemed youth academy and go on to become first-team regulars and England internationals.
Former right back Gary is one of the most decorated players ever in England and Europe with 20 major trophies, including eight Premier League trophies, while Phil also lifted six top tier crowns. The pair were key members of the 1999 Champions League winning Red Devils side too.
Thiago and Rafinha Alcantara
The Alcantara brothers both learned their trade at Barcelona’s famed academy La Masia, before taking different senior career paths.
Thiago burst into the Catalans first-team and won four La Liga medals and two European Cups before a big-money move to Bayern Munich, while Rafinha is currently still a Barca player. The latter also opted to represent Brazil, while Thiago is full Spain international now.
Jerome and Kevin-Prince Boateng
During both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the clashes between Germany and Ghana saw both half-brothers Jerome and Kevin-Prince Boateng respectively go head-to-head, having chosen to represent different nations.
Both born in Berlin, the Boatengs have enjoyed success in Europe at club level. Jerome is pivotal player for Bayern after a turbulent time at Manchester City, with Kevin-Prince having featured for Spurs and Portsmouth before winning Serie a with AC Milan.
Rafael and Fabio da Silva
The Da Silva twins became fan favourites during their time at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson, but both eventually departed after securing many honours in England, including sharing the Premier League trophy in 2011.
Fabio is now at Middlesbrough, while Rafael has become a an important defensive acquisition for Lyon in Ligue 1.
Yaya and Kolo Toure
With their own unique chant being sung around the country, it’s fair to say the Toure brothers have made an impact in England since arriving.
Yaya’s impressive career has saw him become one of the best players ever to come from Africa, having helped Barcelona reign in Europe and domestically, then being pivotal to Man City’s rise to silverware success.
Kolo played alongside his younger sibling for three years at the Etihad before departing for Liverpool, and has since signed for former Reds coach Brendan Rodgers at Celtic.
Granit and Taulant Xhaka
Basel defender Taulant Xhaka and his brother Granit, now of Arsenal, collided on the pitch during their respective opening international games at Euro 2016 in France.
The former 25-year-old represents Albania, while Gunners anchorman Granit is a Switzerland international, with the pair of siblings having both been born in Basel.
Sven and Lars Bender
Another set of twins on our list, with Germany international duo Sven and Lars Bender having carved out successful careers in their homeland.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven has been at the club since 2009, helping them win two Bundesliga titles under current Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, while Lars has been a key component for Bayer Leverkusen since 2009.
Brian and Michael Laudrup
Both Laudrup brothers earned much success over the course of their long-standing careers, for clubs and their native country Denmark.
Brian’s most prominent spells were at AC Milan, winning the Champions League in 1994, and also helped Rangers to dominate domestically during three successive Scottish league titles.
Michael featured for more illustrious European clubs such as Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the height of his success coming at the latter, lifting a European Cup and four La Liga crowns.
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