This year’s World Cup seemed set to provide more such stories. A total of eight pairs of brothers were expected to take part in the tournament. But fate intervened. Injuries broke up one pair, reducing the number to “seven and a half pairs.”

Among these seven and a half pairs, four pairs will represent the same country, while the other four will play for different nations.

The four pairs playing under the same flag offer intriguing stories of their own. France’s defensive fortress includes brothers Theo Hernandez and Lucas Hernandez. The Netherlands squad was also expected to feature Jurriën Timber and Quinten Timber, but Jurriën’s injury means the Timber brothers will not be celebrating together in the Dutch dressing room.

The remaining two pairs represent World Cup newcomers Curaçao and Cape Verde. Laros Duarte and Deroy Duarte will play for Cape Verde, while Leandro Bacuna and Juninho Bacuna are key figures for Curaçao.

The real intrigue, however, lies among the four pairs representing different countries. Here, family ties take a back seat to footballing nationalism.
Take the case of Guela Doué and Désiré Doué. When Guela, Côte d’Ivoire’s right-back, takes the field, his brother Désiré will be wearing France’s famous blue shirt. Although both were born in France, Guela chose to represent his father’s homeland, Côte d’Ivoire.

A similar story surrounds the Williams brothers. Born in Spain’s Basque Country, theirs is a remarkable tale. The elder brother, 32-year-old Iñaki Williams, represents Ghana, while his younger brother, 23-year-old Nico Williams, has become one of Spain’s brightest attacking talents.

Ghana centre-back Derrick Luckassen has a brother, Brian Brobbey, who serves as a backup striker for the Netherlands. The brothers share the same mother but have different fathers.