DIVIDED BY THE GAME

DIVIDED BY THE GAME

Football is a unique and passionate game. It is loved for these and in turn it is capable of throwing at us some twists only resembling folklores and legends.

We tend to believe that blood bothers are usually from the same country. But wait? Football has wonders for you and they come in twists and turns.

Paul Pogba is a French international. He is of Guinean heritage and should be called a Guinean. This is until football intervened.  A twist creeps in. Pogba has two older twin brothers who are Guinea nationals and represent their country in international football. Florentin and Mathias play as defender and striker respectively.  Florentin plays for Sedan in Ligue 2 while Mathias plays for Crewe Alexandra in England’s League One. How do they handle this when they meet? Are they still Guineans or is one a European and the other two Africans?

If you thought the case of the Pogbas was complicated wait until you hear this. Taulant Xhaka is an Albanian football player. He represents its national football team. For those who do not know Taulant, he is the elder brother of Granit Xhaka. Granit is a Swiss international and plays his club football at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Steve Mandanda has three brothers who are all goalkeepers. He plays for France while his brother, Parfait Mandanda once featured for Democratic Republic of Congo. They have played against each other with the match ending in a stalemate.

The famous Tim Cahill of Everton plays for Australia while his brother Chris Cahill plays for Samoa. These absurdities seem to have no end. Christian Vieri played for Italy while his brother Massimiliano played for Australia.

Jose Carlos Fernandes Vidigal played for Angola in 1996 Afcon while his brother later represented Portugal in Euro 2000. His name is Jose Luis Vidigal. He was recently Angola coach.

Julian and Jonathan De Guzman are of Jamaican and Filipino descent but were born in Canada. Jonathan De Guzman is a Dutch international while his brother is a Canadian international. Jonathan passed Jamaica and Philipines only to feature for the Dutch.

Thiago Alcantara and Rafael Alcantara are sons of Mazinho. Mazinho is a famous former Brazil international. He featured for Brazil in more than one World Cup. His son Thiago is a Spanish international while the younger Rafael has chosen Brazil football team as his future.

If you thought this was only happening in abroad only then you are mistaken. Just a stone throw away; there is the story of Manfred Kizito and Nestroy Kizito. Manfred plays for Rwanda while Nestroy for Uganda. These brothers are from Uganda.

If you thought you were over it, wait until the Aluko family steps in. Amatsone Aluko and Eniola Aluko are siblings. Their father is a Nigerian. Amatsone plays for Hull City in the EPL while his sister Eniola plays for Chelsea Ladies. Amatsone represents Nigeria internationally while his sister is England international.