Successful African footballing brothers such as the Kolo and Yaya Toure, Kalu and Ikechukwu Uche, and Andre and Jordan Ayew, among others, have all left their indelible mark on the beautiful game.
Sometimes, football families are spread across generations too just like Abedi Pele and his two famous sons Andre and Jordan.
There are loads of family members playing football at an elite level, ranging from brothers to cousins to fathers to the slightly more tenuous link of brothers-in-law.
Here are five such African players who are related (even if just a little bit).
- Jay-Jay Okocha and Alex Iwobi (Uncle and nephew)
There was plenty of excitement when young Alex Iwobi burst onto the scene towards the end of last season for Arsenal due to his impressive and intelligent displays on the left flank.
International recognition with Nigeria followed upon which it emerged that he is directly related to one of the Super Eagles finest ever talents; the one and only Austin Jay-Jay Okocha.
Okocha, whose mercurial talents lit up dreary Bolton for five years, is Iwobi’s uncle and has no doubt passed on some pearls of wisdom (and as importantly, some outrageous skills) to his young family member down the years.
- McDonald Mariga and Victor Wanyama (Brothers)
Kenya is a country more associated with long-distance running than football, but the East African country has produced a few handy footballers in recent years, most notably the midfield siblings McDonald Mariga and Victor Wanyama.
Mariga famously became the first Kenyan ever to win the Champions League in 2010 when he was named on the bench as Inter defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 to win the treble, while his younger brother Wanyama has established himself as a key player at Spurs after starring first for Celtic and then Southampton.
These days, Mariga plays for Latina in Serie B, while Wanyama captains the Kenyan national team.
- Lomana and Kazenga Lua Lua (Brothers) and Yannick Bolasie (Cousin)
Only 11 footballers hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo have played in the Premier League and three of them are related – the Lua Lua brothers and Everton’s chief trickster, Yannick Bolasie.
Lomana enjoyed a few productive years in the top-flight while playing for Portsmouth after starting out at Newcastle alongside his younger brother Kazenga, who can now be seen terrorising defences in the Championship with Brighton.
Bolasie, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most dangerous wide midfielder’s and earned a £25m move to Goodison Park from Crystal Palace this summer.
- Joel Matip and Marvin Matip (Brothers) and Joseph-Désiré Job (Cousin)
Remember Joseph-Désiré Job? Middlesbrough fans certainly should, as the Cameroonian forward spent six years on Riverside and even scored one of the two goals as they won their first ever trophy, the 2004 League Cup.
Job retired from the game in 2011 following a spell with Lierse in Belgium, but he has a couple of cousins still playing professionally in the form of Marvin Matip at Augsburg and Joel who is impressing on Merseyside with Liverpool.
