Robin van Persie says his decision to give his son, Shaqueel, a senior debut during Feyenoord’s Europa League defeat to Celtic was based purely on football reasons, not sentiment.
Shaqueel, 19, spent two years in Manchester City’s academy before joining Feyenoord in 2017, following his father’s path. He signed his first professional contract with the club in 2022. In 2025, he earned his first call-up to the senior squad for Sunday’s Eredivisie loss to NEC Nijmegen. Four days later, he made his debut, coming on in the 81st minute of the Europa League match against Celtic.
“I made that decision as a coach, not as a father, because we needed a goal,” said former Arsenal and Manchester United star Robin van Persie. “Shaqueel can score from any angle—that’s why I brought him on.
“As a father, of course it’s special to see your son debut, but I wasn’t focused on that in the moment. I was doing my job, just as Shaqueel was.”
The London-born forward had limited time to make an impact and managed only one attempt inside Celtic’s box. He entered the game at 2–1 down, and Celtic scored a third just a minute later.
“I see Shaqueel as just another player,” Robin added. “We agreed on that years ago when we began working together. He handles it well, and I do too. Later at home, yes, we’ll share a proud moment. He worked hard and earned this chance.”
Van Persie is not the first manager to hand his son a debut. BBC Sport highlighted several other notable father-son combinations:
- Johan and Jordi Cruyff: Johan, an Ajax and Barcelona icon, managed his son Jordi at Barcelona, where Jordi made 54 appearances before both left in 1996.
- Harry and Jamie Redknapp: Jamie debuted under his father at Bournemouth at 16, later reuniting at Southampton.
- Steve and Alex Bruce: Alex played 116 games under his father Steve at Birmingham and Hull, more than under any other manager.
- Zinedine, Enzo & Luca Zidane: Zinedine Zidane played both sons at Real Madrid—Enzo in the Copa del Rey and Luca in two La Liga matches.
- Sir Alex and Darren Ferguson: Darren came through Manchester United’s academy and made 29 appearances under his father before moving to Wolves.
- Diego and Giuliano Simeone: Giuliano debuted for Atletico Madrid in 2022 under his father Diego.
- Danny and Daley Blind: Daley played under his father when Danny Blind coached the Dutch national team from 2015 to 2017.
