It’s not such a common sight to find a family of brothers playing professional football. However, it’s an even rarer sight to see two siblings playing for different countries. Today we will take a look at ten brothers who not only played for different national teams but also sometimes faced off against each other.
1. Iñaki Williams (Ghana) and Nico Williams (Spain)
The Williams brothers are one of the popular brothers who play football for different countries.
They were born in Bilbao, Spain, to Ghanaian parents and grew up playing for Athletic Bilbao.
Iñaki Williams started his senior career with Bilbao and progressed rapidly to become a key player for the first team.
Although Iñaki Williams represented Spain under-21s and made one cap for the Spanish national team in 2016, he never became a regular in the team.
Ghana reached out, and Iñaki Williams responded favourably. He will represent Ghana at the 2022 World Cup.
His younger brother Nico Williams played for Spain’s youth teams and consistently featured for Athletic Club.
His impressive performances earned him a call-up to the Spanish senior squad in September 2022.
Nico was also selected to represent Spain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
2. Wilson Eduardo (Angola) & Joao Mario (Portugal)
Wilson Eduardo is the elder brother of Benfica and Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario. The two brothers are of Angolan descent.
Wilson played for Portugal at youth level and rejected an opportunity to play for Angola’s senior squad in 2013.
In 2019, however, Eduardo reversed his decision to play for Angola and even scored for them on his debut.
While Joao Mario has played for Portugal since 2014, the midfielder was part of the Portuguese side that won the Euro 2016 and Primeira Liga with Sporting CP in 2021.
3. Jerome (Germany) & Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana)
The Boatengs are half-brothers born to a Ghanaian father and two different German mothers.
The pair began their early careers in the German youth setup. The younger Jerome was a defender, while his older brother Kevin-Prince was an attacking midfielder and opted to play for the land of his father, Ghana.
Jerome represented Germany in various international competitions, including the World Cup.
He was part of the team that successfully lifted the World Cup played in Brazil in 2014.
Kevin-Prince also played for Ghana at the World Cup in 2010 and 2014.
In 2014 he and his brother set the record for the first brothers playing for different countries to face each at the World Cup when Germany played Ghana in the group stage.
4. Granit (Switzerland) & Taulant Xhaka (Albania)
The Xhaka brothers were born to parents of Albanian origin.
Taulant, the older brother, plays as a defensive midfielder, while Granit plays in a more advanced position in the central midfield.
While the Arsenal man decided to play for his adopted Switzerland, Taulant chose to play for the land of his parents, Albania.
The two siblings got a chance to face each other in an international competition when Switzerland played Albania in the group stage of the 2016 Euros.
5. Paul (France), Florentin & Mathias Pogba (Guinea)
Paul Pogba needs no introduction. The 2018 World Cup winner is highly regarded as one of the best creative midfielders in the game right now.
Not many people know that he has brothers who also play international football, albeit for Guinea.
Twins, Florentin and Mathias, have, at one time or the other, featured for the Guinean national team.
6. Thiago (Spain) & Rafinha Alcantara (Brazil)
Sons of former Brazilian international Iomar do Nascimento (Mazinho), the Alcantara siblings have a mutual love of football.
The older Thiago has so far had a more accomplished career, currently still playing for the Spanish national team.
Rafinha only has two caps to his name for Brazil.
7. Steve (France), Parfait & Riffi (Congo)
The two Mandanda brothers are goalkeepers who represent different countries.
Steve Mandanda plays for Olympique Marseilles and the French national team, while Parfait is a goalkeeper at Charleroi and a Congolese international.
Steve is the elder brother and has two other younger brothers apart from Parfait.
Riffi Mandanda, who is a goalkeeper, plays for Kongsvinger in Norway, and Over Mandanda plays for Bordeaux.
8. Tim (Australia) & Chris Cahill (Samoa)
The former Everton FC and Australia midfielder is no doubt the more well-known sibling of the two.
His brother Chris also had intentions to play for the Aussies, but in the end, he decided to represent the land of his mother, Samoa.
9. Ramiro and Rogelio Funes Mori (Argentina and Mexico)
It is rare but not unheard of for siblings to play for different national teams, but how often do twins choose to represent different nations? The Funes Mori twins were born in Argentina but moved to Arlington, Texas, at age five — where they stayed all through high school. They began their youth careers at FC Dallas before moving back to Argentina where they joined River Plate.
Ramiro has arguably been the more successful of the two, spending time with notable European sides Everton and Villareal, while also playing for the Argentinian national team. Rogelio briefly played for Benfica but has spent the last eight seasons with Monterrey in Liga MX. Rogelio was initially declared to be ineligible for Mexico, but a year later, thanks to a FIFA rule change, he was able to suit up for El Tri in 2021 — nine years after his first and only friendly appearance for Argentina.
10. Cristian and Alex Roldán (United States and El Salvador)
A more recent addition, the Roldán brothers are teammates at the club level with the Seattle Sounders but represent different nations during international play. The duo is eligible for the United States, Guatemala and El Salvador, and was pursued by all three nations. Cristian chose the United States while Alex opted for El Salvador. Bonus points for the Roldán’s as both are still active internationally.
