Five times football brothers met on opposing teams
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Burnley against Hull might not be first up on Match of The Day on Saturday night, but it will certainly grab a few headlines with twin brothers Will and Michael Keane set to play on opposing sides.
The Stockport siblings both came through the youth academy at Manchester United, and each managed to grab some first-team action.
But with regular football hard to come by at Old Trafford, Michael decided to find pastures new at Burnley last summer, with Will taking heed and joining Hull 12 months later.
Now they’re ready to meet on opposing sides of the pitch for the first time.
Without checking through the annals of Premier League history, we reckon it may well be the first occasion where twin brothers have played against each other.
But here are five other well-known sibling face-offs…
The Nevilles
Arguably the most famous footballing siblings in a generation. Gary and Phil came up through the Manchester United ranks together, becoming an integral part of the Class of 92.
When Phil headed over to Everton in 2005, the sibling partnership became a rivalry, although Gary dominated it with four wins to Phil’s one in their five meetings.
The Xhakas
An enduring image of the European Championships this summer was Taulant and Granit Xhaka’s mother watching her boys play for Albania and Switzerland respectively, bedecked in a half-and-half shirt.
The brothers, of Kosovo Albanian descent, each came through the Swiss international youth teams, with Taulent choosing to play for Albania before making a senior cap.
Amazingly the brothers are due to meet again in the Champions League, when Basel-based Taulent faces Granit’s Arsenal.
The Boatengs
Kevin-Prince Boateng and younger brother Jerome made history in 2010 when they became the first brothers to face other at a World Cup.
Born in Berlin, the Boateng boys both came through the ranks at local giants Hertha, and each represent Germany at youth level.
In 2009, Kevin-Prince switched allegiance to his father’s homeland, Ghana.
The Dawsons
Growing up in the Dawson household must have featured plenty of rough and tumble with Andy, Michael and Kevin all turning out to be defenders.
Andy and Michael faced off once for Hull and Tottenham respectively, and we’ll give you one guess what the score was?
Yup. 0-0.
The Charltons
The original brotherly superstars. Bobby and Jack had the unusual records of being one-club men but for different sides, while simultaneously helping England to global domination and World Cup glory.
With both brothers enjoying lengthy careers at the top, meetings were pretty regular, and both were mightily successful.
Jack would win the league title in 1969, in addition to five runners-up spots, an FA Cup and a League Cup success with Leeds, while Bobby claimed three league championships, one FA Cup and famously, the European Cup in 1968 with Manchester United.
Not bad boys, not bad.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
