5 popular footballers you never knew had footballing brothers

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Some famous football players are known to have brothers who also play(ed) football, maybe not up to the stardom level but at least professional enough.

Pro players like the now retired Eden Hazard and Ikechukwu Uche have footballing brothers Thorgan Hazard and Kalu Uche respectively.

Another great example is Romelu Lukaku whose brother Jordan Lukaku is also a Belgium international. It is also great to mention these footballing brothers from the past generation – Gary and Phil Neville – for reference sake.

However, some quite popular footballers have football brothers you may not be familiar with.

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For instance, not many people know that former Liverpool man Christian Benteke has a brother who also plays football. Well, now you know. Here are five football players who have brothers that play(ed) the round leather game as well.

Christian and Jonathan Benteke

Belgian striker Christian Benteke currently competes for the Belgian national team and Major League Soccer (MLS) club D.C. United. He joined Aston Villa from Genk in 2012 for a price in the tune of more than $7 million.

Benteke played for Liverpool for one season. He netted ten times prior to moving to Crystal Palace at the start of the 2016/17 campaign.

His brother, 28-year-old Jonathan Benteke, currently plies his trade in Luxembourg. He plays as a forward for Pétange.

Gianluigi and Antonio Donnarumma

Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is a goalkeeper for the Italian national team and French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Donnarumma came into limelight having started his professional career with AC Milan in 2015.

The now 25-year-old shot-stopper entered the history books when he became the second-youngest goalkeeper to make his Serie A debut at 16 years and 242 days. He was also the youngest goalkeeper in Italy’s history, at 17.

Donnarumma has a elder brother who is eight years older than him. His name is Antonio and just like Gianluigi, he is also a goalkeeper.

Antonio also came through the youth ranks of AC Milan having precious been with Juve Stabia. He failed to break into the Milan main team and was eventually sold in 2012.

He currently plays for Italian Serie C Group A club Padova, a club he has been with since 2021.

Toni and Felix Kroos

Toni Kroos is one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. He’s had a highly successful, trophy-laden career with football heavyweights Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

He recently helped Real Madrid reach the semi-finals of the 2023/24 Uefa Champions League as they eliminated holders Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Toni Kroos’ brother, Felix is a retired football player and is only a year younger than the Madrid star.

Felix represented Germany at U16 through U21 levels. He also represented German clubs Union Berlin, Hansa Rostock, Eintracht Braunschweig, and Werder Bremen.

Giovani and Jonathan dos Santos

Mexican former professional footballer Giovani dos Santos was raised with his brother, Jonathan dos Santos. Giovani is the more popular footballer after having stints with both Barcelona and Tottenham during his playing time.

Dos Santos can operate in a variety of positions – as a support striker, winger, or as an attacking midfielder.

His brother, Jonathan, 33, currently plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga MX team Club América.

Georginio Wijnaldum and Rajiv van la Parra (Half-brothers)

Having grown up in Rotterdam, both players played for two of the city’s most prolific teams in their younger years.

Although Van la Parra was part of Feyenoord’s youth set-up, he never made their first team. Wijnaldum, on the other hand, is a proven midfielder. He is a Champions League and Premier League winner for Liverpool.

He began his career with Feyenoord rivals Sparta Rotterdam before joining the club on the Meuse.

“I knew I had another brother, but I never saw him until that moment,” Wijnaldum told The Times about when he faced Van la Parra in a derby.

“I never saw pictures because at that time you didn’t have the internet or social media. There was no Instagram or Facebook or anything.”

“I went to play a game, but I found my brother.”