Throughout the long and illustrious history of the beautiful game, many brothers have taken to the field together as they lined up for the same teams, sometimes even as rivals.
From Guiseppe and Franco Baresi to Gary and Phil Neville, the footballing folklore has witnessed numerous iconic pair of brothers.
In the contemporary world too, we have many great players coming from the same family, take Eden and Thorgan Hazard for example. Keeping that in mind, we decided to chalk up a list of the top six most expensive pair of brothers in world football.
#6 Paul and Florentin Pogba (€105.5 million)
Manchester United star Paul Pogba is one of the most renowned players in the world, but few people know about his elder sibling Florentin Pogba, who plies his trade in Ligue 2.
While Paul has won the World Cup with France, Florentin hasn’t tasted success like his younger brother.
Together though, they rank at number six on this list, which is primarily due to Paul Pogba’s much-talked-about move to Manchester United from Juventus for around €105 million. On the other hand, his elder brother fetched a meagre fee of €400k when he joined Saint-Etienne in 2012.
#5 Lucas and Theo Hernandez (€124 million)
Both Lucas and Theo Hernandez began their careers in the youth academy of Atletico Madrid. They progressed through the ranks and are currently considered two of the most impressive left-backs in world football.
Lucas, the elder of the two, won the World Cup with France alongside Paul Pogba, and his performances earned him an €80 million move to Bayern Munich.
Theo had already joined Real Madrid in 2017, in a move reported to be around €24 million, but only two years later he left for AC Milan who paid €20 million for the Frenchman.
#4 Gonzalo and Federico Higuain (€161.48 million)
The Argentine pair of brothers began their careers playing for River Plate’s junior sides, before making the transition to the senior team. Since then, both have played for numerous teams, with Gonzalo Higuain tasting more success.
Currently, Gonzalo plays for Juventus, who paid a staggering €90 million to Napoli to acquire his services, which covers the major chunk of the former Chelsea striker’s career total, which stands at €159 million.
Federico meanwhile, is currently playing in the MLS with DC United, and he’s accumulated a total of €2.48 million in transfer fees, propelling their combined total to €161.48 million.
#3 Eden and Thorgan Hazard (€170.50 million)
The Hazards are four brothers and barring the youngest one, Ethan, who is just 16, all three are professional footballers. Most renowned among them is Eden, who recently moved to Real Madrid for a stellar fee of €100 million after impressing with Chelsea in the Premier League.
Thorgan Hazard was also a Chelsea player, but he spent most of his time at the club away on loan. The 27-year-old was signed by Borussia Dortmund for €25.5 million ahead of the 2019-20 season, which made them the third most expensive pair of brothers at €170.50 million.
#2 Kylian Mbappe and Jires Kembo Ekoko (€183.70 million)
The pair are second on this list because Kylian Mbappe fetched €180 million when he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco in 2018, while only being 19.
Kembo Ekoko, the adopted brother of Kylian Mbappe, is a relatively unknown commodity in world football. He has previously played for Rennes and Al Ain, with the 32-year-old’s last competitive appearance coming in the colours of Turkish club Bursaspor.
#1 Romelu and Jordan Lukaku (€207.56 million)
At the top of the pile, we have the Lukaku brothers, who are the most expensive pair of siblings in world football. Jordan, the younger of the two, plays primarily as a left-back for Serie A outfit Lazio, who signed him for a fee of €4 million from Belgian club Oostende in 2016.
His elder brother, Romelu, has an impressive CV, having represented the likes of Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United in the past.
Romelu was widely recognised as one of the most lethal young strikers in the Premier League before joining Inter Milan last summer.
In total, Romelu Lukaku has attracted a transfer fee of €203.56 million, which when combined with his brother Jordan’s tally, takes them into pole position.
Transfer fee figures via: Transfermarkt.co.in