Fans of football have long been enthralled by the prospect of footballing duos from the same family. It is rare to have siblings play for the same team or play top-level European football for a sustained amount of time. It is even rarer to see brothers/twins achieving the same amount of success playing for a single country/club. The list below consists of a mixture of brothers from the above-mentioned categories.
5. Rafinha Alcantara – Brother of Thiago Alcantara
Just like his brother, Rafinha also emerged through the Barcelona youth ranks and made his debut for the senior team in 2011. Due to a lack of first-team opportunities, he went to Celta Vigo on loan in 2013. Most of his appearances for Barcelona came during Luis Enrique’s three-year spell from 2014-2017. He is now on loan at Celta Vigo. Unlike his brother Thiago who plays for Spain, Rafinha plays for the Brazilian national team.
4. Felix Kroos – Brother of Toni Kroos
This one is quite a surprise as there is very little knowledge of Kroos’ younger brother among fans of football. Felix Kroos has spent his whole career in Bundesliga and lower divisions of German football, playing for clubs such as Hansa Rostock, Werder Bremen and Union Berlin. He has represented youth outfits of German football such as U-17, U-19, U-21 but hasn’t really kissed the heights like that of his brother.
3. Kevin-Prince Boateng – Brother of Jerome Boateng
Compared to his World Cup-winning brother, Kevin-Prince Boateng’s career has been somewhat middling with occasional performances of note. He was thrown into the spotlight when Barcelona hired him last January as a backup striker but he could not cement his place in the team. He now plays at Besiktas and represents Ghana at the international level.
2. Paolo Suarez – Brother of Luis Suárez
The sibling of a famous footballer who decided to represent a different nation, Paolo Suarez has represented El Salvador at the national level. He has played in El Salvador’s top division and made 568 official appearances before retiring in 2018. He has stated in several interviews about the strong relationship he has with his brother Luis Suarez.
1. Thorgan Hazard – Brother of Eden Hazard
Definitely the most famous name on this list, Thorgan Hazard plies his trade with Borussia Dortmund while his famous elder brother now plays for Real Madrid after cementing his status among all-time great Chelsea players.
Interestingly, Thorgan Hazard has outperformed his brother this season with 7 goals and 13 assists in the Bundesliga. Thorgan has two younger brothers, with Kylian playing for Club Brugge while the youngest Ethan is just starting as a footballer. It is quite amusing to think that we might see all four represent Belgium one day.
