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As a budding footballer it is essential that one gets ample support from their families to pursue the sport as a profession. There's no guarantee that you'll make it to the top. It requires immense hard work and patience but the journey becomes that much easier with your loved ones by your side.
In fact, when you choose to walk down the same road as others in your family, there is always some backing from the more experienced customers. What then could be more delightful for a young football player than to find his idol in his own father.
Over the years we have seen various footballers live iconic careers and their sons have proudly inherited the legacy and kept it going in the family. In such families where football runs through the veins and is passed down from one generation to another, comparisons between fathers and sons are natural.
No son really goes out on the field with the intention of overtaking his father's name, but sometimes it happens while delivering high-quality performances. It is no doubt a big personal feat nonetheless, to not be seen as a shadow of your father as a footballer anymore.
Today, some footballers have shown that they indeed have a lot going for themselves. They can overtake their father's legacy as successful professionals. Here are five active players who can surpass their father's legacy:
#5 Marcus Thuram
Thuram is a difficult last name to carry. It signifies France's most capped international player, a woke man with a strong stance on social issues, a World Cup winner and a rock-solid defender. All of that is one man, named Lilian Thuram. Marcus Thuram was only a year-old when his father won the World Cup in 1998.
He was never in doubt that to be seen in isolation from his father's persona and success was going to take something special. To carve out his own identity, to be known as Marcus and not son of Lilian was going to be a constant battle. Gladly, his decision to function as a forward rather than a defender like his father will help him in the task.
The game of football has always been kind to goalscorers and there is always a bias towards those who can put the ball in the back of the net. Thuram Jr. will have to score a handsome number of goals and the bias will probably elevate him. On that front, this particular moment in time is a bad one to talk about Marcus and goals.
He suffered a knee injury before towards the end of last season. This has seen his game time reduced this season in the Bundesliga and his form is nowhere to be seen. In the 10 games he has played this season, the forward has had no assists or goals, albeit playing only 427 minutes in those.
However, last season the Borussia Monchengladbach player was linked with Liverpool and continues to be linked with Inter Milan. An upgrade at the club would be deserved given how much he has really matured in the last couple of years. Last season, Thuram made 23 goal contributions in 40 games. In the 2019-20 campaign he recorded the same aggregate tally in the same number of games.
Clearly the winger is prolific when he gets going and has what it takes to perform with consistency. Thuram Jr. is fast, but also uses his physicality to bully defenders, which sets him apart from other speed merchants.
At club level, Lilian has only won two significant titles: Serie A twice with Juventus and the UEFA Cup with Pama. Marcus has been quick to raise his stock with his highest market value recorded at €40 million by Transfermarkt. Europe's biggest clubs have already started enquiring about his signature.
With a huge chunk of his career still to come, Thuram Jr. has a lot going for him to surpass Thuram Sr.'s legacy.
#4 Marcos Alonso
Football flows through the veins of many families in Spain who have produced professional footballers in multiple generations. One such family is the Alonsos and the current flagbearer of that name is Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso Mendoza. It becomes important to mention his full name because both his grandfather and father went by the same first two names.
In terms of achieving silverware, Alonso is already ahead of his father. Marcos Sr. won La Liga, Copa del Rey and Copa de la Liga all for once in his career. The Chelsea left-back has one each of the Champions League and Europa League medals to boast about. Alonso Jr. is nearing his father's goal tally of 53, having contributed 38 goals so far in his senior club career.
As a left-back if he manages to surpass that tally, he'll really have eclipsed his father's achievement as an attacking midfielder/winger. But what the Chelsea man is really eyeing is catching up to his grandfather, popularly known as Marquitos, who was a Real Madrid legend.
Marquitos played as a right-back and on many occasions in his career filled in as a centre-half. Despite making fewer appearances than both his son and grandson, he was a bigger winner. His five La Liga titles and five European Cup victories are a milestone that theoretically can't be matched by the youngest Alonso.
However, the Chelsea left-back is part of a team that are top contenders for both the Premier League and Champions League this season. Those two trophies at club level and major silverware with the Spanish national team, given that the World Cup is approaching, will see Alonso carve his own legacy.
#3 Giovanni Reyna
Claudio Reyna is often considered among the greatest footballers that have come out of the United States. A born leader, his CV is a clear indicator that Reyna was never short of suitors around Europe. He has had spells with Bayer Leverkusen, Vfl Wolfsburg, Rangers and Manchester City.
Now, all eyes are on his son Giovanni Reyna as he continues to excel at his tender age (19) and attempts to make a name for himself. When you feature in the same squad as Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, you can be forgiven for not being titled as the most sensational youngster. But Reyna jr. is holding his ground just fine.
Since moving to Borussia Dortmund, the the United States international has had a few records named after him. He is the youngest goalscorer in German Cup history at 17. He is also the third-youngest player to ever appear in a Champions League knockout game. Reyna is the youngest player to record a hat-trick of assists in the Bundesliga.
So clearly the attacking midfielder is not leaving any stone unturned in establishing his personal milestones. But to match his father, he will need to win a league title in Europe and get an equally amazing CV. Well, Gio is just 19 and with his whole career in front of him, he can manage those feats and more.
As far as stats go, Claudio Reyna was a central midfielder and registered 16 goals in his career before retiring. Reyna Jr. is already ahead of that tally with 18 scored so far. However, given he is an attacking player, that metric is only important for those that play the game by numbers.
One of Claudio's most amazing feats was his inclusion in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 2002. Reyna may have started fast and furious in his career but will have to work really hard to match that milestone.
#2 Federico Chiesa
Enrico Chiesa forged a popular career for himself in his playing days. His reputation preceded him and it was a fact that wherever he went, goals followed. Federico Chiesa is no stranger to the fact that his dad was a hitman. If he wanted to carve out his own legacy, he couldn't take a moment's rest.
Being associated with the last name Chiesa comes with the obligation to rise to the most demanding occasions. Federico has shown that he is completely down with that idea. In Italy's latest Euro 2020 triumph, Chiesa Jr. scored against Austria in the final 16 rounds. This made them the first father-son duo to score in the knockout stages.
His father loved scoring against AC Milan and now the son has been doing the same. Twice in Serie A, once for Fiorentina and once for Juventus, Federico Chiesa has drowned the Rossoneri all by himself. Over the past couple of years, the 24-year-old has gone on to become a more finished product.
His decision-making has been top-notch and his finishing has only become more clinical. He has made 89 goal contributions in his senior club career, with 51 goals scored. The 24-year-old continues to be courted by top European clubs.
Ex-Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, who played with his father, believes the Juventus forward will soon overtake Enrico's legacy. With the Euro Championship Winners medal, Chiesa Jr. has already won a national title, something Chiesa Sr. couldn't do in his career.
It is only a matter of time before major club silverware comes his way.
#1 Erling Haaland
The amount of respect Erling Haaland has for his dad is always on display when the Norwegian speaks about him. However, that does not change the fact that he's the closest of everyone else on this list to surpassing his father. There's a majority of those who believe he already has, but the striker himself believes he has a few yards to cover.
Alf-Inge Haaland represented Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City. A defensive midfielder by trait, he played a little over 260 games in his 13 year career. The Norwegian's career has been devoid of silverware, but his son has been quick to put some trophies in his bag.
The Austrian Bundesliga titles aren't given much importance but they are still significant trophies that Haaland Jr. has. His first major honor was the DFB Pokal he won in Borussia Dortmund's colors in 2021. His dad's career ended prematurely due to an injury and was marred by many of them while he was still playing.
It would be a shame if Erling Haaland was to pick up such a knock sometime in his career because there is just so much potential. Alf-Inge was crucial to Leeds United as he played an important role in their semi-final run in the UEFA Cup. He also helped them qualify for the Champions League.
Erling Haaland has been rocking those Champions League nights every time he has featured. He is both the youngest and fastest player (14 matches) to score 20 UCL goals. The Dortmund striker is the first player to score at least two goals in four consecutive UCL appearances. There are many such records he has set and it's safe to say that on an individual level he has surely surpassed his father.
Dortmund did not proceed to the knockout stages of this year's Champions League. So the Norwegian striker will have to scare opposition in the Europa League.
However, this is the ideal opportunity to get ahead of his father. Haaland Sr. couldn't help Leeds win the UEFA Cup, maybe his son can take this opportunity to usurp his father.
