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Zinedine Zidane with his son EnzoFootball is in their blood. Literally. These are the kids of famous footballers, who have decided to follow in their father's footsteps and eke a name for themselves.Whether they succeed in emerging from the shadows of their illustrious birthgivers remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain. They have the talent to succeed at the top level. Lots of it. In fact, some of these kids are already in various youth teams. Presenting the 10 star kids of modern-day football.
#1 Shaqueel Van Persie
Robin van Persie’s 7-year-old son Shaqueel is the first entry on our list. The youngster exhibited footballing skills at an early age, and has recently been training with both the Manchester clubs – quite a conundrum.
Both Manchester sides are incredibly interested in signing the junior van Persie, but for now the youngster is simply enjoying his football.
Here’s what the doting father had to say – “He shares my passion of being involved with loads of sports. His timing is incredible. He’s very competitive. He plays for his local team with his friends and he got scouted.
“Now he’s playing for both United and for City up until an age where, maybe in a year or so, he has to make a decision about where he wants to play.”
As you can see in the video below, Shaqueel has inherited his father’s killer left-foot.
#2 Cristian Totti
Francesco Totti’s 9-year-old son Cristian is next on our list, and sure to be the next wonderkid to come through Roma’s aceademy.
The junior Totti recently started training with the U-9 team of Roma. And judging by his skills, he looks set to emulate his father and become a Roma legend.
Here’s a video of the younger Totti in action. Shades of his father are clearly visible:
#3 Enzo Fernandez Zidane
The oldest of Zidane’s four sons, Enzo is a 19-year-old who currently plays for Real Madrid’s C team as a midfielder. Blessed with the balance and footwork that characterized his father’s spectucular career, Enzo was invited by then manager Jose Mourinho to train with Real Madrid in 2011.
At the start of the year, Enzo was called up by the French U-19 team, and chose to play for them despite being eligible for the Spanish U-19 team, as he holds citizenship of both countries.
Enzo’s three brothers – 15-year-old Luca, 11-year-old Théo, and Elyaz, eight – are also at the Bernabéu, in various youth teams. It’s only a matter of time before we see another Zidane wearing the white of Real Madrid.
#4 Joe Van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar’s son Joe is next on our list of star kids set to take the footballing world by storm. Joe, 16, is following in the footsteps of his father and well on his way to becoming a top quality goalkeeper.
Currently, the junior Van der Sar is training with the Ajax Amsterdam youth team, where senior Van der Sar is the Marketing Manager and close enough to keep an eye on the youngster’s development. The younger Van der Sar will be hoping to emulate the success of his father, a multiple champion and a goalkeeper with fantastic ability.
Here’s a video of father vs son, as part of Van der Sar's testimonial. Joe steps up to take a penalty against his father, knowing full well that others before him have failed time and again.
#5 Brooklyn Beckham
David Beckham’s son Brooklyn is already on track to becoming a professional footballer. Brooklyn, 15, has already trained with Chelesa, Manchester United and LA Galaxy in the past two years.
More recently, David Beckham announced plans of starting his own MLS franchise in Miami, and the younger Beckham is thrilled at the chance of joining hands with his father and training under his supervision.
Beckham’s other two sons, Cruz and Romeo, are also budding footballers and the duo are currently training with the Arsenal underage teams.
Beckham was quoted as saying, “As long as they enjoy playing football, I don’t care whether they play at professional level or Sunday league level.”
#6 Niccolo Pirlo
11-year-old Niccolo Pirlo already has his father’s penchant for spotting that pass over the defence or a defence-splitting throughball.
With a style eerily similar to his father, Niccolo is already exhibiting his skills and ability for the game.
It’s only a matter of time before the big guns come calling for the younger Pirlo. Perhaps Milan could be his choice of destination?
#7 Benjamin Aguero
Father – Sergio Aguero.
Godfather – Lionel Messi.
Grandfather – Diego Maradona.
That’s a serious list to be following in the footsteps of. But 5-year-old Benjamin is already exhibiting the talent that has percolated down through the old DNA.
Recently, the youngster went along with Aguero for a training session at Manchester City and immediately scored on debut.
Grandfather Diego Maradona had this to say about Benjamin Aguero and Thiago Messi, Lionel Messi’s son – “One of them will have to play as a midfielder. I think Thiago (Messi) will command the others. Benjamin (Aguero) will play as a forward.”
#8 Daniel and Christian Maldini
Continuing the Maldini legacy and following in the footsteps of grandfather Cesare Maldini and father Paolo Maldini are 18-year-old Christian and 13-year-old Daniel Maldini.
Christian, like his father, is a budding defender and recently joined Serie B team Brescia on loan for the 2014/15 season. With the chance of first-team football, Christian will be looking to break into the reckoning for the Italian U-19 team soon.
Daniel is curerntly playing with the AC Milan under-age teams. Both brothers are defenders, just like their illustrious father.
#9 Rivaldinho
No prizes for guessing whose son Rivaldinho is. The clue is right there in the name.
The 41-year-old Brazilian striker Rivaldo recently made history by playing alongside his 18-year-old son Rivaldinho. The pair, currently playing at Brazilian outfit Mogi Mirim, lined up alongside each other in a match vs XV de Piracicaba in the Campeonato Paulista, the oldest competition in Brazil.
Rivaldo was overcome with emotion and went on to say: “I want to thank God for this special day in my life when I could play with my son @ _rivaldojr in an official game.
The game ended 1-1, but this day is going to be history. Thank you my God for everything you did and do in my life.”
#10 Romarinho
Son of legendary Brazil striker Romario, the 20-year-old Romarinho has already etched his name in the hearts of fans. In 2012, the then 18-year-old came on as a substitute for Vasco da Game in a match against San Francisco in the Sao Paulo Copinha and scored a wonderful goal to help his side win 3-2.
“This goal was in the style of my father,” said Romarinho. “I am fortunate to be by his side 24 hours a day. I've learned some things during that time. I was happy with the effort, I moved between the defenders and managed to score.”
“Pressure is normal in football, and it's worse for me being the son of Romario,” he said. “After getting a goal I'll score 10 out of 10, but I think the performance was worth about three or four.
“I didn't start well, I was nervous, missed a pass at the start. I think (dad) wouldn't criticise me, but ask for a better performance in the next game.”
Romarinho plays as an attacking midfielder, unlike his father who was a striker.
