The children of great athletes do not choose who to be. They grow in the shadow of legendary surnames and statues. Their friendship is a fascinating phenomenon when the names of their fathers (Federer and Nadal, for example) become the reason for their first meeting, and then the children themselves decide whether to continue being friends or to become rivals. We tell you how the "heirs" of tennis kings, football geniuses, and hockey heroes live.

Children of Messi and Aguero

Thiago Messi and Benjamin Aguero (sons of legendary Argentines) played football together in the "Barcelona" and "Miami" academies. Their friendship has become a symbol of tradition transfer. They don't just communicate on Instagram; they actually play on the same team, train under the watchful eyes of their great fathers. Their common family Instagram shows them swimming in the pool and celebrating birthdays. It seems that the friendship of their parents has been passed on to their children without excessive competition.

Children of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Two daughters of Roger (Mila and Sharlin) and a son of Rafael (Rafael junior) often meet at tournaments. Roger has told how his daughters fight over whom to support: their father or "Uncle Rafa." At children's parties, they play football together and don't pay attention to the titles of their fathers. It is still unknown whether they will follow in their parents' footsteps, but their friendship has already been strengthened by joint summer vacations in Switzerland.

Children of footballers: Simone and Bianca

The son of Pirlo and the daughter of Balotelli. In Italy, the children of celebrities often attend the same private schools. For example, Simone Pirlo (son of Andrea) is friends with the children of Del Piero and Vieri. Their Instagram is full of selfies from concerts. This is not "friendship by calculation," but ordinary teenage parties where the surnames of their fathers don't matter.

Hockey families: sons of Ovechkin and Malkin

Sergei Ovechkin (son of Alexander) and Nikita Malkin (son of Evgeny) have been friends since childhood. They grow up in the USA, play hockey together in the yard. Their fathers are irreconcilable rivals on the ice, but they exchange jokes outside of it. The sons inherit this model: they may fight on the court, but they hug each other after the game.

Thus, the friendship of the children of great athletes is a kind of bridge between generations and eras.

Permanent link to this publication: