Famous football brothers: Ranking the 20 best soccer siblings in the world right now

According to various sources, 90% of youngsters who train in professional academies never make it. Of course, this number would increase if you included all youngsters who, at the very least, had football as an initial passion. But when it does, it seldom happens that lightning hits the same place twice. Are there any famous football brothers today?

Although there have undoubtedly been many successful brothers in football throughout history, the listed twenty stand out among the many other siblings who have also shown keen interest in playing the game.

Famous brothers who play football

Most of these famous football brothers have recently been the charm of the public, especially the fact that how most of them take after each other in various ways such as look, physiques, style of play, and so much more. In this article, you will find a compiled list of the most successful brothers in football.

20. Gabriel and Diego Milito

Former central defender and current Argentinos Juniors manager Gabriel Alejandro Milito was born in Argentina on 7 September 1980. He represented Barcelona and Zaragoza for most of his professional career in Spain and played 187 La Liga games scoring six goals in seven seasons.

Diego Alberto Milito, the player's brother, is an Argentine-based former professional football player who played as a striker and debuted in 1999 with Racing Club in Argentina before transferring to Genoa in 2003.

After his second stint with Genoa, his prolific goal-scoring prowess led to a transfer to Inter Milan. He played a vital role in the team's 2010 treble-winning season, scoring 30 goals across all competitions, including two goals in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final.

19. Paolo and Fabio Cannavaro

Italian-born former centre-back Paolo Cannavaro played professionally on 26 June 1981. He went to Parma in 1999 after starting his career with Napoli, where he played with his older brother Fabio.

Paolo stayed with the team for seven seasons except for a loan to Verona for the 2001/2002 season, assisting the team in its 2005 run to the UEFA Cup semifinals. As a result, the two are recognised as famous Italian football brothers.

18. Ronald and Erwin Koeman

Martin Koeman is a Dutch-based football manager and former professional player born on 20 September 1961. Along with his younger brother Ronald, he has also represented the Netherlands. Ronald Koeman, a professional football manager and former player from the Netherlands, was most recently the manager of La Liga team Barcelona.

Although his brother was equally well-known for his goal-scoring, long-range shooting, and accuracy from free kicks and penalties, he was also capable of playing as a defender and midfielder.

17. Aleksei and Vasili Berezutski

The defending player turned football coach, Vasiliy Vladimirovich Berezutski, was born in Russia on 20 June 1982. He was occasionally used as a wing-back or a midfielder in addition to playing as a full-back or centre-back. On 6 September 2016, during a friendly match against Ghana, he received his 100th cap for the Russian national football team.

His brother, a former centre-back player and current Russian football coach, Aleksei Vladimirovich Berezutski, also knows his way around the pitch. Although he usually defends the centre of the field, he can also play as a full-back, wing-back, defensive midfielder, or even a winger.

16. Yaya and Kolo Toure

Ivorian professional football coach and former footballer Gnegneri Yaya Toure played centre defence for Barcelona in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, despite his early desire to be a striker.

He has a brother, Kolo Abib Toure, an Ivorian-based professional football coach and former player. They played as a defender for the national teams of Ivory Coast, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Manchester City.

15. Giovani and Jonathan dos Santos

Mexican professional footballer Giovani dos Santos Ramrez was born and raised alongside his brother, Jonathan dos Santos. Giovani, a forward with a wide range of positions, can operate as a winger, backup striker, and attacking midfielder.

His brother, Jonathan Ramrez, currently plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga MX team America. However, he is often spotted training and playing beside his brother, Giovani.

14. Rio and Anton Ferdinand

English former footballer Anton Julian Ferdinand, born in 1985, has recently served as the centre-back for St Mirren. He came out of the West Ham United youth and played for their senior squad, Queens Park Rangers, Sunderland, Bursaspor, Antalyaspor, and Reading.

He was raised alongside his brother, Rio Gavin Ferdinand, a former English centre-back who currently works as a television analyst for BT Sport. He participated in three FIFA World Cup teams and played 81 times for the England national team. Aside from the two brothers being the most decorated players in their country, they are regarded among the notable famous English football brothers.

13. Philipp and David Degen

Former Swiss footballer David Degen, born in Liestal on 15 February 1983, last played for FC Basel in the Swiss Super League, mainly as a right midfielder. He is partially Dutch because his mother is from that country. Philipp Degen, his identical twin, played professional football as well. Degen was chosen for the 2006 World Cup roster for Switzerland. But he just took part in the exhibition games.

12. Christian and Jonathan Benteke

Belgian striker Christian Benteke Liolo, was born on 3 December 1990. He competes for the Belgian national team and Major League Soccer club D.C. United. He spent a season at Genk before being acquired by Aston Villa for over $7 million.

He played with Liverpool for one season, tallying ten goals, before being moved to Crystal Palace to begin the 2016/17 campaign. He was raised alongside his brother, Jonathan Benteke Lifeka, born on 28 April 1995 and currently plays as a striker for the American team Loudoun United FC.

11. Jerome and Kevin-Prince Boateng

Though Jerome's younger brother always looked one step ahead of Kevin-Prince, Jerome and Kevin-Prince later emerged from the Hertha junior levels. Kevin-Prince, who received the gold Fritz Walter Medal in 2006 for being the greatest U-19 player in Germany, made such an impact during his first two seasons with the Old Lady that he secured a high-profile transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007.

The brothers were unable to play together on an international level mainly because of their disparate temperaments.

10. Ronald and Frank De Boer

Franciscus de Boer is a Dutch-based football manager who was most recently the head coach of the Netherlands national team. He played at Ajax most of his professional playing career, winning five Eredivisie championships, two KNVB Cups, three Super Cups, and one UEFA Super Cup, among others.

His twin brother, Ronaldus de Boer, is a former midfielder for the Dutch national team. He participated in professional matches for many European and the Netherlands national teams. Today, the two are renowned as famous twin brothers in football.

9. Gary and Phil Neville

Gary Alexander Neville, an English football broadcaster, businessman, coach, and former player, was born on 18 February 1975. He shares ownership of Salford City in the English Football League. Neville stopped playing football in 2011, transitioned into commentary for Sky Sports, and assumed the job of head coach at Valencia in 2015.

His brother, Philip John Neville, is the head coach of Major League Soccer Franchise Inter Miami. He spent the first ten years of his playing career at Manchester United, winning six Premier League championships, three FA Cups, three FA Charity Shields, the Intercontinental Cup, and the Champions League.

8. Gianluigi and Antonio Donnarumma

Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma Cavaliere competes for the Italy national team and Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. After progressing through the team's youth program, Donnarumma started his professional career with AC Milan in 2015. He made history as the second-youngest goalkeeper to make his Serie A debut at 16 years and 242 days.

His brother, Antonio Donnarumma, is an Italian-based professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Padova of Serie C Group A.

7. Sven and Lars Bender

German former professional footballer Lars Bender, born on 27 April 1989, was a right back and defensive midfielder. He is Sven Bender's twin brother. He participated in the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship-winning German under-19 team. He and his twin Sven were both selected as champions of the competition.

His brother is a German-based retired professional football player who played as a central defender and defensive midfielder. He began his football career as a TSV Brannenburg player after growing up in Brannenburg.

6. Toni and Felix Kroos

German-born retired professional football player, Felix Kroos, was born on 12 March 1991. At international levels from U16 through U21, he represented Germany while playing for Hansa Rostock, Werder Bremen, Union Berlin, and Eintracht Braunschweig. His older sibling is Toni Kroos, a midfielder for the German national team.

5. Rafael and Fabio da Silva

Fabio Pereira da Silva, famously recognised as Fabio or Fabio da Silva, was born on 9 July 1990 in Brazil and now plays as a full-back for the French team Nantes. Fabio and his identical brother Rafael started their careers at Fluminense before being recruited by the English team Manchester United in February 2007.

In 2011, when Fabio represented Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League Final against Barcelona and won the Premier League, he made two appearances for Brazil at the senior international level.

4. Andre and Jordan Ayew

Jordan Pierre Ayew represents Ghana at the international level and Premier League club Crystal Palace as a striker. His brothers André and Ibrahim Ayew are also professional athletes.

3. Romelu and Jordan Lukaku

Jordan Zacharie Lukaku Menama Mokelenge, a left defender for the Spanish team SD Ponferradina, was born in Belgium. His older brother Romelu plays football as well. Having played for Belgium at the UEFA Euro 2016, Lukaku earned his senior international debut with them in 2015.

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His brother, Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli, a Belgian professional football player, currently plays as a striker for the Belgium national team and Serie A club Inter Milan while on loan from Premier League club Chelsea.

2. Thiago and Rafinha Alcantara

Brazilian footballer Rafael Alcantara do Nascimento, better known by his stage name Rafinha, began his career with Barcelona, making his first-team appearance in 2011. After being on loan at Celta, he returned to his previous team in 2014 and appeared in his maiden La Liga game. He competes with Al-Arabi in the Qatar Stars League as an attacking midfielder.

His biological brother, Thiago Alcantara do Nascimento, is a professional football player for Liverpool and the Spanish national team.

1.Thorgan and Kylian Hazard

Thorgan Ganael Francis Hazard, a Belgian professional football player for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Belgium national team, was born on 29 March 1993. He plays as an offensive midfielder and winger. He is Kylian Hazard's older and Eden's younger brother.

Hazard signed a five-year deal with Borussia Dortmund on 22 May for a rumoured $25.5 million cost. He joined the squad simultaneously as Julian Brandt, a new colleague from Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Today, many famous football brothers have proven that athletics could be genetic. From some being identical twins to others being young ones or elder ones. Additionally, judging from the compiled list above, it is clear that football is a popular sport today.

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