Here are my top 5 footballing father/sons:

5. Frank sr. and Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard senior is undoubtedly a West Ham legend. He made his debut for the East London club at the age of 19 in November 1967 and quickly established himself as a regular in the left-back position for the Hammers. Frank senior managed to appear in the claret and blue 551 times whilst netting 18 goals along the way. Frank sr. also managed to lift the F.A Cup twice with West Ham in 1975 and 1980. He made his debut for the senior England team in October 1972 against Yugoslavia, the first of only two caps. He had a one year spell with Southend United in 1985 before announcing his retirement from the game a year later. From 1994 to 2001 he returned to West Ham to take on the role of assistant manager under his brother-in-law Harry Redknapp. Frank Lampard senior is currently a football consultant to Watford manager Brendan Rodgers.

Frank Lampard junior is a solid goal scoring midfielder who plays his football for newly crowned Premier League champions Chelsea. Like his father, he also started his football career at West Ham United. Lampard spent seven years at the East London club before making a switch to London rivals Chelsea in 2001 for a fee of £11 million. He has set a record for the most consecutive Premier League appearances at 164, as well as picking up two Premier League titles, and F.A Cup and just recently a historic domestic double. Lampard is also a regular for the England squad.

4. Alex and Darren Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson is possibly one of, if not, the greatest managers the football world has ever seen. The Scotsman was a striker in his heyday and represented several clubs such as, Dunfermline, Falkirk and Scottish giants Rangers. After finishing his playing career, Fergie pursued a career in management. His first job came when he was appointed as the part-time East Stirlingshire manager in June 1974 at the tender age of 32. In the same year (October) Ferguson was named the new St. Mirren manager where he spent four years honing his managerial ability. He impressed so much that in 1978 he was given the job at Aberdeen where he won several trophies and impressed a number of clubs nationwide. In 1986 he became the Manchester United boss and the rest writes itself really. Fergie has bagged many honours as the Red Devils boss and has currently led his team to 26 trophies, which include 11 Premier League titles, 5 F.A Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 UEFA Champions League titles and 1 European Cup Winners Cup. After 24 years in charge, Fergie is still at the helm and looks to be going nowhere anytime soon. A true legend to say the very least.

With his dad having a superb reputation within the game, Darren Ferguson will no doubt have a lot to live up to. Darren Ferguson started his playing career at Manchester United and was handed his debut by his father in 1990. He spent four years at Old Trafford before transferring to Wolves where he made 117 appearances in his 5 year stay. His best days came in Wrexham colours where he made over 300 appearances and bagged more than 50 goals in a 8 year span at the club. In 2007 Darren followed in his fathers footsteps and was appointed Peterborough manager. In his first season in charge he guided the club to promotion to League one. Ferguson is now the current Preston North End manager and has been since January 2010.

Continue to page 2 for the rest of the list

3. Johann and Jordi Cruyff

Johann Cruyff needs no introduction in football. The Dutchman is unquestionably one of the best players the Netherlands have ever produced as well as a football phenomenon around the globe. The striker began his career at Ajax, where he displayed class and composure in front of goal. In 1987 Cruyff moved to Barcelona and helped the Spanish club clinch their first La Liga title since 1960 and was also named European Footballer of the Year on three occasions whilst at Barca. Johann will always be remembered for what is now called the ‘Cruyff turn’, a brilliant piece of skill that is now used on a daily basis. After retiring from the game, Johann also had a successful managerial career with most notably Ajax and Barcelona.

Jordi Cruyff started out at Barcelona and just like Fergie did with his son, Johann gave his son his first La Liga debut in 1994. In 1996 Jordi signed for Manchester United where he made a total of 36 appearances for the club in 4 years. Cruyff couldn’t really settle due to a large amount of injury problems, although whilst on the pitch he did show some flashes of being a really good player. After United, Jordi played for 4 other clubs, and has recently retired in the Maltese League with Valletta…Jordi was newly appointed the AEK Larnaca manager in 2010.

2. Brian and Nigel Clough

The Clough name is most definitely one of the most famous names in world football without a doubt. Brain Clough remains a legend to this very day. Clough was a prolific striker in his early days for his home town club Middlesbrough and also their North London rivals Sunderland. These two clubs were the only two he ever played for after suffering knee ligament damage on the 26th of December 1962 against Bury. His goal scoring record was outstanding which stands at 274 games played, 251 goals scored…absolutely remarkable. He moved into management at the age of 30, and during his time managed several clubs before taking on the Nottingham Forest job in 1975. Known for his controversial yet charismatic style, Brian Clough became a national treasure when he achieved a remarkable feat by lifting back-to-back European Cups.

Just like his father, Nigel was also a lethal striker. He started off at Forest in 1984 where he spent 9 years. He made a impressive 311 appearances for the club and bagged 101 goals along the way. Clough then had spells at Liverpool and Manchester City before moving into an player-manager role at Burton Albion in 1998. In his fourth season in charge (2001/02 season), his side were crowned champions and climbed up out of the Blue Square Premier League and into the Conference. He spent 11 years at the Pirelli Stadium before becoming the new Derby County manager in 2009. He continues to hone his management skills at Championship club to this very day.

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1. Cesare and Paolo Maldini

One of the world’s most famous footballing names out there. Cesare Maldini was a solid centre-back in his playing days. The Italian started out at Triestina in 1952 where he made 32 appearances for the club. A year later he moved to A.C Milan which is where he played out most of his career. Cesare made over 300 appearances in his 12 year spell as well as representing his country in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. In 1986 the former defender coached the Italian U-21, a job which lasted for 10 years before taking the next step up as the senior manager of his country. Cesare managed Italy for 2 years and led them into the World Cup as his son as the captain. He then had a brief spell at coaching his old club Milan, before eventually landing the Paraguay job in 2001. The Italian is currently a sports analyst for Al Jazeera.

Like father, like son is certainly defined with the Maldini’s. Just like Cesare, Paolo Maldini was also a solid centre-back/defender. Paolo spent his entire 25 year playing career at A.C Milan making a ridiculous 647 appearances for the Italian giants. He is also the current holder for the most capped player for his country which stands at 126. Within his playing career (1985-2009) Paolo managed to pick up 26 trophies, which included 7 Serie A titles, 5 European Cups/Champions Leagues and 5 UEFA Super Cups. Last year he decided to hang up his boots and call it a day, it is unknown what he will pursue next. The man was an inspiration for any aspiring defender and was truly one of the greats in the game…a true legend.

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Click image below to see a gallery of the Argentinean babes at the World Cup: