Beckham, Neville, Zidane…Is it nepotism or hard work getting these footballers’ sons opportunities most kids dream of?

Some hard work, access to limitless resources, top coaches and trainers working with you from a young age, and multi-millionaire parents with strong connections in the world of football capable of pulling a never-ending number of strings shows anything is possible.

Eyes rolled in early January when David Beckham’s second-oldest son, Romeo, joined Brentford B on loan. While football fans grimaced that another ex-footballer’s son was given the chance to play at a high level, the sports media industry clamoured for more information on the younger Beckham. In the days following Romeo’s signing with Brentford B (and the possibility of him getting a first-team opportunity at some point), major football media outlets went crazy, with one sports news provider sending a journalist to cover his Brentford B debut.

Embed from Getty Images

Romeo joined Brentford B from Inter Miami, the team his father co-owns with the brother business-duo of Jorge and Jose Mas. The winger had previously played in the Arsenal academy along with his brothers Brooklyn and Cruz. After one year in the academy, Romeo was released, which led to him focusing on tennis and modelling. In 2020, he decided to give football another shot, signing for Inter Miami’s reserve squad Fort Lauderdale CF. Now known as Inter Miami II, Beckham tallied 10 assists for the club in 2022 playing in the MLS Next Pro League.

Brentford B are always on the lookout for good players that go under the radar of other clubs. Yet, having played for the reserve team his dad owns, it isn’t difficult to see why Romeo received the opportunity to join the Bees.

Beckham Sr’s name, connections, and profile are three easy reasons to see why Romeo got a chance with Brentford. Sure, the 20-year-old has some talent and potential, but so do plenty of other players released from academies around England each year.

Romeo wasn’t the only son of a top ex-professional in the Inter Miami II team. Beckham’s good friend and ex-teammate, Phil Neville, was hired as Inter Miami manager in 2021, shortly after leaving the England women’s national team job, in an event that could be described as a job for the boys. Neville and Beckham are also connected in another way, as the two former Manchester United players are co-owners of England’s League Two club, Salford City.

Harvey Neville has been a part of his dad’s plans for a long time. In 2015, Neville was an assistant coach at Valencia, after his brother Gary was appointed manager. Harvey played in the Valencia academy before getting a few years in the Manchester United academy. When Neville joined Inter Miami, Harvey went with him, and in 2022, receive a first-team debut.

Former Real Madrid midfielder and legendary manager, Zinedine Zidane, doesn’t just have one player in professional football, he has three. Enzo is a midfielder for Fuenlabrada, and brother Luca is a goalkeeper for Eibar. The brothers had the experience of learning football in Real Madrid’s famous academy. Zidane’s youngest son, Theo, plays for Real Madrid Castilla after coming through Los Blancos’ academy as well.

Embed from Getty Images

Not all top professional footballers have sons to reach the top of the game or match the same levels. Yet, having the chance to learn, practice, and play with world-class coaches from a young age has allowed players of ex-pros opportunities average kids do not receive.

The difference between a seven-year-old player receiving coaching from a dad at the grassroots level and an ex-pro’s son of the same age getting instruction from a qualified coach with experience in the professional game is incredible.

Grassroots football can be an inefficient way of producing and developing good young football players, as too often coaches and parents prioritise wins and losses over players improving their technical skills. Training sessions are typically held once per week with games on the weekend, as long as the pitches are playable.

Yet, having a learning environment with skilled coaches teaching you from the start in good facilities gives kids a strong push towards success. In some cases, players developing in grassroots football and reaching higher levels of the game seem almost like an accident.

Not all former players’ sons are able to make it as professionals. Even those that do make it as footballers, don’t always make it to the top of the game. One player to reach the top of the game is Lilian Thuram’s son Marcus, who came through the Sochaux academy and debuted in 2015. After some good seasons in France with Sochaux and Guingamp, Thuram joined Borussia Monchengladbach, where he has excelled since 2019.

Thuram was even called-up to the French national team for the 2022 World Cup and claimed an assist in the final against Argentina. Yet, Thuram seems to be an exception to the rule when it comes to the sons of former players.

Of course, then there is Erling Haaland, whose father Alfie played for Leeds United and Manchester City amongst other clubs. Alfie was also capped by Norway 34 times. Son Erling is the best striker in the world and is almost nonhuman on the pitch.

In fact, Haaland appears to be more like a cyborg when scoring goals. Like the sons of other former pros, Erling received high-quality coaching from an early age. Alf-Ingve Berntsen started coaching Erling at the age of eight and developed him until 15 when the striker debuted for Norway’s Bryne. The younger Haaland had all of the tools needed to develop further and become the player fans see today.

Not all kids can become professional footballers. If they could, millions of kids who dream of playing football would play it as adults. Yet, football seems to have the biggest problem with nepotism in the sports world.

Football is littered with the children of ex-professionals, with the likes of Charlie Savage (Robbie Savage), Isaac Drogba (Didier Drogba), Justin Kluivert (Patrick Kluivert), and many more playing professionally – or at least having the opportunity to play as a pro.

In many cases, an opportunity is all a child needs to succeed, whether it is in education or sports. Having access to top-level coaching, training sessions, and a chance to develop are not the only items a youngster needs to be signed by an academy or professional football team. There are other factors, such as resilience, character, and adaptability. A positive environment also helps. Yet, with a lack of opportunity, it is difficult to tell whether average kids can achieve what other players obtained through nepotism.