History was made in the United States last night as basketball icon Lebron James and his LA Lakers team-mate Bronny James became the first ever father-and-son pair to play together in the NBA.
The Premier League has also had plenty of players who emulated their dads by following them into top-flight football, including one who made his debut earlier this season – Tottenham Hotspurdefender Archie Gray.
His dad, Andy Gray, made 51 appearances in the competition as a forward for Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.
Even more amazingly, Archie’s great uncle, Eddie, managed Leeds in the Premier League, while his grandad, Frank, won a European Cup as a player.
Archie’s debut has taken the total number of Premier League players whose dads also played in the division to 26.
| Father | Apps | Son | Apps |
| Peter Schmeichel | 310 | Kasper Schmeichel | 284 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Wright | 213 | Bradley Wright-Phillips | 32 |
| Shaun Wright-Phillips | 316 | ||
| Paul Ince | 306 | Tom Ince | 48 |
| Steve Bruce | 148 | Alex Bruce | 48 |
| Bryan Gunn | 104 | Angus Gunn | 31 |
| Alan Cork | 46 | Jack Cork | 304 |
| Kevin Campbell | 325 | Tyrese Campbell | 4 |
| Rob Lee | 280 | Elliot Lee | 2 |
| Gus Poyet | 187 | Diego Poyet | 3 |
| David Hirst | 135 | George Hirst | 7 |
| Gordon Strachan | 96 | Gavin Strachan | 14 |
| Paul Furlong | 64 | Darnell Furlong | 38 |
| Steve Potts | 204 | Dan Potts | 2 |
| Alvin Martin | 45 | David Martin | 5 |
| Rory Delap | 359 | Liam Delap | 10 |
| Jimmy Phillips | 99 | Nat Phillips | 19 |
| Richard Cresswell | 67 | Charlie Cresswell | 5 |
| Jon Olav Hjelde | 17 | Leo Hjelde | 2 |
| Lee Clark | 185 | Bobby Clark | 6 |
| David Johnson | 14 | Brennan Johnson | 81 |
| Alf Inge Haaland | 181 | Erling Haaland | 74 |
| Patrick Kluivert | 25 | Justin Kluivert | 40 |
| Neil Danns | 5 | Jayden Danns | 2 |
| Claudio Reyna | 105 | Giovanni Reyna | 9 |
| Andy Gray | 51 | Archie Gray | 4 |
Two stars of the inaugural 1992/93 Premier League season, Peter Schmeichel and Ian Wright, have seen their sons enjoy great success in the competition.
Kasper Schmeichel lifted the Premier League trophy with Leicester City in 2015/16 and made 284 appearances in the competition, only 26 fewer than his father Peter, who was a five-time title-winner with Manchester United.
Wright, who scored 113 Premier League goals in 213 matches, has two sons who played in the top flight – Shaun Wright-Phillips and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
Shaun came through Manchester City‘s academy and made his Premier League debut for the club, before enjoying spells at Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers. Bradley also represented City, 32 times.
Of all the Premier League players’ sons who have featured in the competition, Shaun has made the most appearances, with 315, followed by the 304 of Jack Cork.
Paul Ince and Steve Bruce were in the same Man Utd side with Peter Schmeichel that won the title in 1992/93. Their sons Tom Ince and Alex Bruce also played together, for Hull City in 2014/15, and have both made 48 Premier League appearances.
Erling Haaland emulated his father Alf-Inge Haaland when he joined Man City, and he made an immediate impact by winning a historic Treble in an incredible 2022/23 debut season, following that achievement with a second successive Premier League title and Golden Boot award in 2023/24.
Alf made 181 appearances for Nott’m Forest, Leeds United and Man City between 1994 and 2004.
Brennan Johnson, whose dad David Johnson played for Ipswich Town in 2000/01, also enjoyed a memorable debut campaign in 2022/23. The striker scored eight goals and produced three assists to help Nott’m Forest secure their top-flight status.
Following a move to Spurs in August 2023, Johnson overcame an indifferent start in north London to finish the 2023/24 season with five goals and 10 assists. He has begun the 2024/25 season in great form, scoring three goals in Spurs’ first eight Premier League matches.
The list could grow further in 2024/25, with a number of players hoping to follow in their fathers’ footsteps by making a Premier League debut.
Southampton‘s summer signing Nathan Wood, 22, who joined from Championship side Swansea City, is the son of former Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough defender Dean Gordon.
Brentford winger Kyreece Lisbie has the ambition of emulating his father – Kevin Lisbie – by playing first-team football, having been a part of the Bees’ B side last season.
Stanley Mills, the son of former Leeds and Man City defender Danny Mills, hopes to be pushing for a place in Sean Dyche‘s senior Everton squad this season. Stanley joined League One side Oxford United on loan in August 2023 before suffering a knee injury that cut short his campaign.
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