12 footballers who got to work with their sons: Cruyff, Rivaldo, Maldini…

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Father and son Harry and Jamie Redknapp at a cancer awareness event in Hyde Park. London, June 2001.

Several footballers have gone on to see their sons follow them into the games – and some have even been lucky enough to work alongside their offspring.

It is most people’s dream to become a footballer, but some people are so lucky that they are able to continue living out those dreams even after they’ve retired.

And this lot are even luckier still, actually getting to work alongside their sons in the professional ranks.

Paul and Tom Ince

Paul has given a lot of assistance to his son in his career, taking him to Notts County on loan for his first taste of senior football after just one brief League Cup appearance at Anfield.

After leaving Liverpool, Tom then joined Blackpool, who appointed his father as manager 18 months later. Paul slapped an incredible £25million price tag on his son’s head, putting off many potential suitors.

Arnor and Eidur Gudjohnsen

They became the first father and son duo to appear in the same international match when Arnor was replaced by his son in a friendly against Estonia in 1996, however, an injury to Eidur meant they never got to play together.

Bob and Michael Bradley

Michael joined MLS side MetroStars at the age of 16, making his professional debut under the management of his father a year later.

Bob was relieved of his duties and went on to take over as the manager of the USA national team only a few months after 19-year-old Michael had made his debut.

Rumours circulated in 2017 that Michael would join his father at newly-formed MLS franchise Los Angeles FC, but a move never materialised.

Harry and Jamie Redknapp

Harry handed his son his professional debut for Bournemouth at the age of just 16, 18 months before the midfielder joined Liverpool.

Jamie rejoined his father at Southampton in 2005, which would prove to be his last season as a professional as persistent injuries ended his career prematurely.

Danny and Daley Blind

Daley followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a popular figure at Ajax. Between 2008 and 2012, Danny had a number of background roles while his son took to the field at the Amsterdam Arena.

The former Manchester United man went on to play under his father for the Dutch national team during Danny’s extremely unimpressive two-and-a-half years in charge.

Daley then moved back to Ajax in 2018 and earned his place in the club’s history with his fifth and sixth league titles as well as some brilliant Champions League displays.

Steve and Alex Bruce

A young Alex joined dad Steve at Birmingham in 2005 but left the club after they were relegated from the Premier League. Ex-Manchester United centre-back Steve suggested his son would develop best away from his management.

However, the pair linked up once more at Hull, as the club reached the FA Cup final for the first time, leading to their first appearance in European competition. They returned to Wembley in 2016, winning the Championship play-off final.

Johan and Jordi Cruyff

As a teenager, Jordi moved with his father from Ajax to Barcelona, eventually graduating to the first team before being sold to Manchester United in 1996.

Both father and son represented the Catalonia national team in their playing careers, with Johan also going on to manage the team.

READ: Johan Cruyff: The best quotes on a Netherlands, Ajax & Barcelona icon

Dave and Sam Beasant

Former England and Wimbledon stopper Dave joined son Sam at Stevenage as goalkeeper coach in 2014.

Following an injury to Sam, ‘Lurch’ was registered as a player and named as a substitute for Stevenage at the age of 55, 37 years after his senior debut.

Rivaldo and Rivaldinho

Club president Rivaldo came out of retirement in 2015 to help out Mogi Mirim, for whom son Rivaldinho was playing.

The pair scored in the same game, netting all three goals between them in a 3-1 victory over Macae.

While at Dinamo Bucharest, Rivaldinho did this in the 2017-18 Europa League.

Gary and Lee Johnson

Having left Arsenal at 17, Lee joined his father for the first time at Watford, where Gary was the head of the youth department.

Lee played under his father at Yeovil and Bristol City, and later managed at Ashton Gate, even leading City to a famous victory over Manchester United. Lee is now Sunderland boss.

Cesare and Paolo Maldini

A father and son who are both Milan legends, Paolo also captained Italy under the management of his father at the 1998 World Cup.

In a great family football shame, Paolo’s first son Christian failed to make the grade at Milan, and now lines up for Serie C club Pro Sesto. But 20-year-old Daniel Maldini is now part of the first-team squad at San Siro, where his father Paolo is currently the technical director.

Zinedine, Enzo, Luca, Theo and Elyaz Zidane

At one point, Zinedine had all four of his sons with him at Real Madrid.

Enzo left for Alaves in 2017 and now plays in Ligue 2 with Rodez. Goalkeeper Luca made his debut for Los Blancos on the final day of the 2017-18 season before moving to Rayo Vallecano. Theo and Elyaz, meanwhile, remained in the youth ranks at Madrid following their dad’s departure.

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