This weekend will potentially see twin brothers play against each other in a game of professional football as Ryan and Steven Sessegnon meet in the FA Cup.
The siblings have had winding journeys on their way to this moment. Both came through the youth ranks at Fulham, but while Ryan impressed enough to secure a move to Tottenham, Steven made a number of loan moves before his permanent transfer to the Wigan in 2023.
After an injury-cursed five years at Spurs, Ryan returned to Craven Cottage last summer. The pair will reunite on Saturday after the two clubs were drawn together in the fourth round of the cup.
They are not the only instance of brothers who play professionally, so we’ve picked out some of the biggest examples in the game right now.
Seven brothers who play currently professional football
Jobe and Jude Bellingham
The Stourbridge natives both rose to prominence at Birmingham City before securing moves elsewhere. Jude is now in his third season at Real Madrid following a spell at Borussia Dortmund, while his younger brother is impressing at Sunderland, who are gunning for promotion to the Premier League.
Iñaki and Nico Williams
The brothers Williams have etched their names into Athletic Club de Bilbao history after both men helped the club claim their first Copa del Rey in 40 years in 2024. Nico became one of the most desired wingers in football after playing a key role in Spain’s European Championship triumph the same year.
Born in northern Spain, Iñaki switched international allegiance to the birthplace of his parents, Ghana, after winning just one cap for the Spanish national team.
Read – Seven brothers who played on the same Premier League team
Lucas and Theo Hernandez
The Hernandez bros both came through the youth setup at Atletico Madrid, for whom Lucas made 110 appearances. Theo, who is 20 months younger, didn’t play a senior game for the Colchoneros after controversially moving to rivals Real. Lucas is now at PSG after spending four years at Bayern Munich, while Theo settled at AC Milan.
The elder brother won the Fifa World Cup in 2018, while Theo played in the final defeat to Argentina four years later. Their father, Jean-François, was also a professional footballer who lined out for Atletico at the tail end of his career.
Read – The most shocking relegations from Europe’s top five leagues
Antonio and Gianluigi Donnarumma
You probably didn’t even realise Gianluigi has a brother who also played for AC Milan, did you? Antonio, who is nine years older, spent four seasons at the San Siro alongside his more accomplished sibling, who starred in nets when Italy won Euro 2020. He now plays for PSG, where he has won three Ligue 1 titles.
Read – The heaviest defeats suffered by Premier League champions
Jordan and Romelu Lukaku
A former Chelsea, Manchester United and Inter Milan striker who is also Belgium’s record goalscorer, Romelu is the more accomplished player. But his brother Jordan enjoyed a lengthy spell at Serie A side Lazio and is an international player, although his last cap for the Belgian national team came in 2017. The 30-year-old currently plays for Turkish outfit Adanaspor, while Romelu is leading the line at Napoli.
Read – The lowest-scoring teams in Premier League history
Andre and Jordan Ayew
Sons of Ghana legend Abedi Pele, Andre and Jordan both rose through the ranks at Marseille before reuniting later in their respective careers at Swansea City. Jordan has also lined out for Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, while Andre spent two years at West Ham United and made a brief return to the Premier League in 2023 when he joined Nottingham Forest on a free transfer.
Jordan is still making a living in the English top-flight with Leicester City, while his elder brother is currently playing for French outfit Le Havre.
Read – The fastest goals ever scored in the Premier League
Matty and Sean Longstaff
The common theme you may have noticed here is that every pair of brothers listed has come through the same academy together. That is also the case for the Longstaffs, who made the breakthrough at Newcastle United.
Aside from a couple of loan moves, Sean has spent his entire professional career to date with the Magpies, making 206 appearances in all competitions. Matty, on the other hand, only played a tenth of the number of games for the north east club before joining MLS outfit Toronto FC. The best moment of his career came at the very beginning when he scored on his debut against Manchester United at St James’ Park, winning the Premier League Goal of the Month award in the process.
Read – Five of the best FA Cup fourth-round ties this weekend
See Also – Five things to look out for in the FA Cup fourth round
Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok
