10 current players whose fathers played in La Liga in the 1990s
Carles Busquets (Barcelona, Lleida) and Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)
The defensive midfielder for Barcelona is known today for his skills, not for being the son of Carles. Sergio's dad was a goalkeeper in the 90s who was good with his foot, but not so good in other facets. He played in Johan Cruyff's Barcelona.
Ángel Merino (Osasuna, Celta) and Mikel Merino (Osasuna, Borussia Dortmund, Real Sociedad)
Mikel Merino is the latest gem to come out of the Osasuna academy. After shiining in El Sadar, he was signed by Borussia Dortmund and now plays for Real Sociedad. His father was not as successful, but did play a handful of seasons in La Liga with Osasuna and Celta Vigo.
Miguel Bastón (Burgos) and Borja Bastón (Zaragoza, Deportivo, Eibar, Swansea, Málaga, Alavés)
Did you know that Borja Baston's father was famous and played in La Liga in the 1990s? He got promoted to La Liga with Burgos, who had the best defence in Segunda, but he struggled to play continuously in Primera because Elduayan was the number one. His son is more famous and like his dad, came from Atletico Madrid's 'cantera'. After being at various Segunda clubs, he ended up at Eibar, where he scored a fair few goals which got him a transfer to the Premier League. Later on, he has rather uninspiring spells at Malaga and Alaves.
Meho Kodro (Real Sociedad, Barcelona, Tenerife, Alavés) and Kenan Kodro (Osasuna, Copenhagen, Athletic)
The Bosnian Meho Kedro arrived in La Liga in the 1990s and rapidly converted himself into one the best strikers in the competition. However, his style was not suited to Barcelona and he ended up dropping down to Tenerife and Alaves. His son got promoted to La Liga with Osasuna and wants to find a place in the top flight just like his father did. He currently plays for Athletic Bilbao.
Paco Llorente (Atlético, Real Madrid, Compostela) and Marcos Llorente (Real Madrid, Alavés)
The young Marcos Llorente is popular at the moment because of his good performances at Real Madrid. Before that, he was on loan at Alaves and he is expected to be an important player in the future. Let's hope he does not end up like Paco who started brilliantly at Atletico, was signed by Real Madrid, but then ended up losing form and ended up at Compostela. Despite this, he has a good number of honours and a handful of caps for the Spanish national team. Will the young Llorente get so far?
Dimitri Cheryshev (Sporting) and Denis Cheryshev (Real Madrid, Sevilla, Villarreal, Valencia)
He has not being playing at the top level for long, but it can already be said that Denis has already done far more than his dad. And Dimitri was a very good goalscorer for Sporting Gijon, mainly in Segunda. He was not a bad player in La Liga although his goalscoring stats were not as good as what was expected of him when he was signed by Sporting.
Mazinho (Celta, Valencia), Thiago (Barcelona, Bayern) and Rafinha (Celta, Inter, Barcelona)
The case of Mazinho, Thiago and Rafinha is one of those cases where you can say like father, like son. Mazinho was one of the best midfielders of the 90s and he showed it at Valencia and Celta Vigo and above all, for Brazil which won the 1994 World Cup. Nothing needs to be said about his sons, Thiago and Rafinha who are Spanish and Brazilian internationals respectively.
Míchel (Real Madrid) and Adrián González (Eibar, Rayo, Racing, Getafe, Málaga)
Michel, the coach and famous ex-Real Madrid footballer, is the father of the young Malaga midfielder, Adrian Gonzalez. Adrian has not achieved neither the fame nor the level of his father, but despite that has played various seasons in La Liga.
Juan Eduardo Esnáider (Real Madrid, Atlético, Espanyol, Zaragoza, Juventus) and Juan Esnáider (Zaragoza, Huesca, Laussane, Toledo, Mérida, Tudelano)
The young striker did not manage to show his best in Spain despite playing various encounters in Segunda for Real Zaragoza. He was also a regular at Huesca and Toledo. He has still got a long, long way to go to be like his dad, a top striker at teams like Atletico, Zaragoza, Espanyol and Juventus. A renowned goalscorer and with lots of character.
'Cholo' Simeone (Sevilla, Atlético, Lazio, Inter) and Giovanni Simeone (River Plate, Genoa, Fiorentina)
Giovanni, now at Fiorentina and the son of Diego Simeone, looks to have a bright future, but he will have his work cut to become as good as what his father was. More known as a manager than a player, Diego Pablo made his mark as a midfielder at Atletico Madrid and Sevilla in the 1990s. He also left his mark in Italy, mainly at Lazio and Inter Milan.
