Brother footballers who play in different national teams
The world in general has become increasingly international in recent decades, and football is no exception. Hence, players of all nationalities can be seen playing anywhere in the world. However, this internationalization gives rise to many curious cases in football, like the one below: brothers who defend different nations. The stories of how these cases come about are as diverse as they are curious and interesting, and now we'll review them.
Nico Williams here playing for Spain
Iñaki Williams (Ghana) and Nico Williams (Spain)
This is the most recent case on the list, as it occurred in 2022 when the Williams brothers were called up for the first time by the national teams they currently represent. Although both were born in the Spanish Basque Country, they are children of Ghanaian immigrants in Spain. Iñaki was a youth international for Spain and even made his debut with the main team in a 2016 friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. After that match, he was no longer considered by Spain, and that led to the elder brother being called up by the African national team for the 2022 World Cup in 2022, after several contacts with the Ghana Football Association. Meanwhile, in that same year, Nico made his debut for the main Spain team, leading to this curious case that, as we will see below, has already occurred on several occasions.Christian Vieri (Italy) and Max Vieri (Australia)
The brothers Christian Vieri and Max Vieri are sons of Roberto Vieri, former footballer of Napoli and Juventus, among others, who had a stint in Australia at the end of his career. When he arrived on Oceanic soil, Christian was 5 years old, having been born in Bologna, Italy, however, Max, was born in Sydney while the Vieri family lived in Australia. Christian managed to have a great career becoming the most expensive signing in history at the time, when he signed with Inter and playing since 1997 with the Azzurri (as the Italian national team is called), with whom he is the player with the most goals at the FIFA World Cup (9) tied with Roberto Baggio and Paolo Rossi. For his part, Max had a more modest career that developed mostly in Italy. In 2004, perhaps in one of his best moments of form, he received the call-up from his country of birth with which he would play up to 6 matches and would win the 2004 OFC Nations Cup.Ramiro Funes Mori (Argentina) and Rogelio Funes Mori (Mexico)
The Funes Mori twins were born in Mendoza, Argentina, and spent their youth playing time between the South American country and the United States after Rogelio won a competition. Interestingly, Rogelio was always the one who received the most attention from the AFA, being called up by Argentina at the U-17 and U-20 levels and even playing a friendly with the main team in 2012 against Brazil. Ramiro, unlike his brother, managed to establish himself in Europe, earning him 26 caps for Argentina between 2015 and 2018. Rogelio had lost his chance to be called up by his home country, and after six seasons playing in Mexico (and a change in FIFA regulations), he was called up by the Mexican national team 17 times.
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Kevin-Prince Boateng
Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana) and Jerome Boateng (Germany)
This is possibly the best-known case of all on our list, both for the high level of the players on the football scale, as well as the controversy surrounding the situation. Both were born and raised in Berlin and are the sons of a Ghanaian father and a German mother. The Boateng brothers stood out from a young age, leading them to be capped numerous times by Germany at the youth level, but Kevin-Prince had disciplinary issues while with the Under-21s, which led to his no longer being called up and ultimately leading him to decide not to represent Germany again. In 2010, after obtaining a Ghanaian passport, he was called up to the national team for the World Cup. In parallel, Jerome developed his international career with Germany, which led to the two facing each other in that 2010 World Cup, and there they became the first brothers to face each other in the history of the competition.Thiago Alcantara (Spain) and Rafinha Alcantara (Brazil)
This is another case of the sons of a professional footballer, Mazinho, a Brazilian international in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Thiago was born in Italy when Mazinho played for Lecce, while Rafinha was born in Brazil while his father played for Palmeiras. Following their father's career as children, the brothers played for youth teams in Spain and Brazil, until Thiago joined FC Barcelona in 2005, followed by Rafinha in 2006. Although both were called up to various levels of Spain as youth players, in 2013, at the U-20 level, Rafinha decided to join Brazil, rising through the ranks of the Verde-Amarela until making his debut with the main team in 2015. Thiago, meanwhile, continued to rise through the ranks of the Spain national team until reaching the main team, with which he played 46 matches between the years 2011 and 2021.
Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba (France), Florentin Pogba and Mathias Pogba (Guinea)
The stories of the Pogba family are enough to write a book, and if no one has written it yet, someone probably will, although in this case we're going to focus only on the national teams they have defended. Paul, the youngest of three, was born in Lagny-sur-Marne, France, after his parents, originally from Guinea, emigrated to Europe. Florentin and Mathias, twin brothers, were born a couple of years before Paul, although they were born in Conakry, Guinea. Paul was always a precocious talent. In fact, he was signed by Manchester United at just 16 years old and was already being called up to the youth teams of the French national team from a very young age.After exploding into the spotlight during his first spell with Juventus, he earned his first cap for the main team in 2013, where he would become an important player in the following decade and become a world champion in 2018. Florentin received his first international cap for Guinea in 2010 at the age of 20 for a friendly against Mali. However, in 2011, he agreed to play for the French U-20s at the Toulon Tournament. However, this would be the last of his time with the European nation and he would return to play for Guinea in 2013, making 31 appearances. Mathias would also be called up for Guinea in 2013, in his case without playing for France's youth system, and he would play a total of 5 matches for the African national team.