A midfield three of Pogba, Schweinsteiger, and Alonso looks great on paper, but be sure to check the first names on the team sheet.
From Thorgan Hazard to Ethan Mbappé to Caoimhín Kelleher's brother Fiacre who is currently playing at Colchester United, the football landscape is littered with talented footballers who are just that bit less talented their better-known sibling.
We've tried to form an XI of less successful football brothers, and here it is:
Goalkeeper:
Parfait Mandanda
Younger brother of former Marseille captain and France international Steve Mandanda, Parfait (which means "Perfect" in French by the way) had twenty caps for the Democratic Republic of Congo and currently plays in the Belgian second division.
Defence:
Fabio Da Silva
While Fabio had an excellent start to his Manchester United career, even starting in the 2011 Champions League final at right back, he soon slipped into obscurity following an ill-fated loan to QPR before a permanent move to Cardiff City, who were then relegated to the Championship. The difference in reaction to each brother's departure justified his selection in this XI, as nobody really seemed to care when Fabio left Old Trafford in 2015, unlike Rafael.
Fabio has been with Nantes since 2018 and has made three appearances this season.
Anton Ferdinand
His brother was a Champions League winner, a six time Premier League winner, a six time Premier League team of the season member, and even got into the FIFPro World XI in 06/07, whereas Anton bounced from West Ham, to Sunderland, to QPR. After a trip to Turkey, he signed for Police United in Thailand but didn't play a game before he joined Reading in 2014.
Ferdinand retired from football after playing for St Mirren in 2019.
Paul Terry
Delighted to have passed my UEFA A Licence today
I'm enjoying the journey and excited where it will take me ⚽⚽? pic.twitter.com/xmCKcjRecw— Paul Terry (@PT__21) April 27, 2017
A Terry-Ferdinand partnership at the back would be all kinds of awkward, but it's fitting in this team as Yeovil legend Paul Terry never quite made it as far as his former England captaining, Champions League winning brother John.
Paul Terry currently works as an assistant manager at Yeovil.
Bjorn Helge Riise
While he did make 15 appearances for Fulham, Bjorn Helge never could crack England the way John Arne Riise did, where he was highly regarded by Liverpool fans. A staple of the Norwegian league, Bjorn Helge never took off outside of his homeland.
Midfield
Mathias Pogba
Mathias Pogba - Pescara🇮🇹 to Crawley Town🏴 (2015) pic.twitter.com/zj89PXw6XJ
— Transfersthathappened (@actualtransfers) December 25, 2022
While his bro Paul became one of the most famous faces in football, Mathias Pogba played for the likes of Partick Thistle, Wrexham, Crawley Town as well as Tours and Racing Murcia.
The only person in this XI to put a curse on his more famous footballing brother
Tobias Schweinsteiger
Bastian and Tobias Schweinsteiger in Manchester United jersey. Cantona fans! pic.twitter.com/UGzQgE0nj8
— Rahul Singh (@forevruntd) July 12, 2015
Tobias Schweinsteiger's dream was to play for Manchester United, the club he supported as a boy, so he is probably delighted to see his little brother Bastian live out yet another dream after captaining Bayern Munich to a Champions League trophy and captaining Germany to a World Cup win, while his own CV looks like this:
Mikel Alonso
Younger brother Xabi Alonso is a Liverpool legend who went on to play for Real Madrid before Pep Guardiola brought him to Bayern Munich, whereas Mikel played for Bolton and Charlton. Maybe he should have spent more time at Irish college in Meath. The brothers were teammates at Real Sociedad.
Xabi Alonso with his brother Mikel during their time at Real Sociedad. pic.twitter.com/6hhoE07zk5
— Xabi Alonso (@XabiAlonsoNews) January 19, 2014
Attack:
Ethan Mbappé
🇫🇷 Ethan Mbappé announces he’s set to leave Paris Saint-Germain as free agent.
"In the name of sincere love I have for you, I say goodbye and thank you PSG”. pic.twitter.com/GHbaxAzcFJ— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 18, 2024
The younger Mbappé brother had some big footsteps to fill. Ethan followed his brother to PSG, making three appearances with the senior team, and interestingly weeks after his brother confirmed he was joining Real Madrid, it was confirmed the younger Mbappé was leaving PSG. Still only 17, he still has plenty of time to make his mark on the game.
John Rooney
Wayne Rooney's younger brother John Rooney scored a 45-yard goal for Barrow against Hartlepool yesterday... we've seen that before 😅🔍 pic.twitter.com/jaS4k4t5rI
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 9, 2022
While his older brother Wayne became one of the most famous footballers on the planet, and captain of England and Manchester United, John played for Macclesfield Town before being selected by the New York Red Bulls in the 2011 MLS Draft. He played five times for the Red Bulls, then joined Orlando City before they joined the MLS. He now plays for Macclesfield again.
Simone Inzaghi
Simone Inzaghi 🇮🇹
Lazio
Player between 1999 and 2010
Manager from 2016 to 2021 pic.twitter.com/ei7ebB7drE— H/F (@hfworld_) October 23, 2022
His bro Pippo is an AC Milan and Italy legend, but poor old Simeone only ever made 3 appearances for Italy and endured a career of loans:
That said, Simone is the superior tactician in the family and has managed Inter Milan to a Champions League final.
