6 aspiring footballers desperate to climb out of their brothers’ shadows
It’s often the case that if there’s one talented sportsperson in a family, there’s a good chance other members are going to share some of their qualities.
But while some hit the absolute heights, it’s a struggle for other family members to live up to that.
Here, we have looked into six footballers who are desperate to climb out of their brothers’ shadows.
Jobe Bellingham
How do you follow one of the most talented players in the world, a player regarded as essentially the second coming of Jesus, in footballing terms?
Probably with great difficulty, but Jobe Bellingham is trying his best.
Brother Jude had his shirt number retired by Birmingham, played 132 times for Borussia Dortmund, and currently has 58 direct goal contributions in 77 games at Real Madrid, as well as Champions League and La Liga medals, at 21 years of age.
Younger brother Jobe, 19, is playing for Sunderland, who are challenging towards the top of the Championship.
He is showing a likeness to his older brother on the pitch, and has followed seven goals and an assist last season with four goals and three assists so far this term.
Reports have linked him with Real, as well as a number of other huge clubs, so he may soon be able to reach Jude’s level if he continues his ascent.
Aaron Ramsey
Brothers Aaron and Jacob Ramsey – now 22 and 23 – were in the same Villa academy squad growing up.
Aaron’s best Premier League 2 campaign of 10 goals and four assists in attacking-midfield was better than his brother’s – six goals and five assists.
Since then, they have headed in different directions. Older brother Jacob has played 150 senior games for Villa, scoring 16 goals and assisting another 16. He’s currently deserving of a starting spot for his boyhood club.
Aaron, after a single senior appearance, no longer plays for Villa. Following loans to League One Cheltenham, and Norwich and Middlesbrough – both in the Championship – he made a £14million move to Burnley in 2023.
He played 14 games for them in the Premier League last season, with no goals or assists, as they were relegated to the Championship.
A knee injury has kept Ramsey sidelined for the last year, harming any chance to catch up with his brother for the time being.
Caleb Chukwuemeka
Caleb and Carney Chukwuemeka also played in the same Villa academy side.
In the 2021-22 Premier League 2 campaign, Caleb netted seven goals and provided five assists in just nine games from the striker position.
Brother Carney, nine months younger, scored twice and assisted twice in seven games, but has since gone onto bigger things.
He was seen as a promising first-team talent at Villa, but contract disputes saw him sold to Chelsea for £20million.
He played 32 games for the Blues, and is now on loan with last season’s Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund, where a good few months could lead to a permanent move there, or another high-profile club.
Caleb, on the other hand, has slipped a way down the footballing ladder, and the chances of him climbing back up in the near future seem slim.
While his brother is owned by one huge club and on loan at another, he’s playing for AC Bellinzona in the Swiss second division, after a spell in the Slovenian second division, which followed a move to League Two Crawley.
Josh Murphy
Josh Murphy has had a career most footballers would be happy with.
He’s scored more than 50 career goals, was the top scorer in the League Cup in 2017-18, and currently plays for a historically successful club, in Portsmouth.
But his twin brother, Jacob, is a fan favourite at Newcastle, and assisted a goal in a historic 4-1 Champions League win over juggernauts PSG.
He’s currently in his best season in the Premier League, having scored five goals and assisted another seven.
Josh is having one of the best seasons of his career, too. He’s currently on six goals and seven assists for Championship Portsmouth.
Pompey are 17th in the second division, so there’s no prospect of the forward reaching the Premier League via promotion, and at 30 years of age, being handed a transfer to reach his brother’s level seems unlikely.
Laurence and Joe Maguire
At 28 and 33 years old, Laurence and Joe Maguire getting anywhere near the level of older brother Harry is a ship which has already sailed.
The former of the pair plays League Two football with MK Dons and Joe for non-league Goole Town.
Their statures in the game currently don’t mean they don’t or won’t harbour ambitions to make it as close to their brother’s level as possible.
Indeed, that Harry made an £80million move to Manchester United in 2019 cast a massive shadow not only on them, but on some of the world’s best defenders, given it made him the most expensive defensive signing ever.
Both defenders themselves, Laurence and Joe would have been desperate to reach a similar level to Harry throughout their careers.
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