It is not uncommon for parents to pass on their footballing ability to their children, and Liverpool’s academy ranks are littered with familiar names.
For better or worse, sporting prowess – or lack thereof – is often inherited, which can be seen throughout footballing history
Alexis Mac Allister‘s father, Carlos, is a former professional footballer along with the midfielder’s uncle, Patricio, while his brothers, Kevin and Francis, are also playing today.
There are a number of examples elsewhere throughout European football, including Erling Haaland, Justin Kluivert and a player heavily linked with Liverpool, Khephren Thuram.
Within the club’s academy, too, there are a host of youngsters with famous footballing fathers.
Bobby Clark, 18, is perhaps the most well-known, having already made his first-team debut and later his first start, making his breakthrough after a £1.5 million move from Newcastle.
His father, Lee Clark, played for Newcastle, Sunderland and Fulham before ending his playing career back at Newcastle, then moving into management.
Another on the fringes of the first team is Lewis Koumas, 18, the Wales youth international who featured prominently throughout pre-season.
Koumas’ father is former Tranmere, West Brom, Cardiff and Wigan midfielder Jason Koumas, who played 96 times in the Premier League.
Jayden Danns, 17, is making inroads at U21s level this season, as a free-scoring striker representing his boyhood club as a Scouser.
His dad is Neil Danns, a Liverpool-born midfielder whose playing career extended from 2000 into 2023, including spells with Crystal Palace, Leicester and Bolton.
He is now assistant manager at Tranmere.
Another striker, Keyrol Figueroa, 17, is currently part of the U18s squad but will not be far off a promotion to the U21s setup.
Figueroa’s father is long-time Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, who played against Liverpool on 12 occasions in his career.
Further down the age groups, Prince Kobe Cisse, 15, is playing for Liverpool U16s as an attacker, emulating his Champions League-winning dad.
Djibril Cisse spent three years on the books at Anfield, making 79 appearances across two seasons, with 24 goals and five assists, before continuing his career with the likes of Marseille, Panathinaikos and QPR.
Zac Jagielka is another young Reds striker whose father played on Merseyside, with Phil Jagielka’s son opting to represent Liverpool, not Everton.
And finally, a player who once turned down Liverpool, Australian defender Lucas Neill – also formerly of Everton – now has son Marcus Neill also in the U16s.
