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Johan Cruyff's soccer legacy continues through his grandson Shae Cruijff-Beane, who has earned his first call-up to the U-18 United States men's national team.
The 17-year-old midfielder, who plays for Spanish club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, will join the U-18 squad at a training camp in Portugal for fixtures this month against Norway and Portugal.
Cruijff-Beane—the spelling reflects the original Dutch form of the family surname rather than the anglicized and more globally recognized 'Cruyff'—qualifies for the U.S. through his American father, Todd Beane. His mother is Johan Cruyff's daughter, Chantal.
He is also eligible to represent the Netherlands through his mother and grandfather, as well as Spain, having grown up in Catalonia—Tarragona sits just over 60 miles south of Barcelona along Spain's eastern coastline—where the family maintains deep ties.
Chantal herself spent part of her early years in Barcelona during Cruyff's playing days and later returned as a teenager when her father was named manager in 1988.
Chantal has an older son, 33-year-old Jesjua Angoy-Cruyff, who trained at Barcelona's La Masia academy between the ages of 15 and 18, but had retired by 25 after failing to break through as a professional. Angoy-Cruyff is the son of former Barcelona B goalkeeper Jesús Angoy.
Cruyff, who died at the age of 68 in 2016, ranks among the greatest players and managers in soccer history, with his influence felt across the globe. From being a cornerstone of the Dutch 'Total Football' revolution that emerged in the late 1960s and laid the groundwork for tiki-taka, to being the architect of Barcelona's youth development philosophy that ultimately produced Pep Guardiola, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and countless others.
Famous Soccer Families Spanning Three (or More) Generations
Should Cruijff-Beane establish himself in the professional game, it would mark a third generation of the family in soccer.
Cruyff's son, Jordi—Cruijff-Beane's uncle—came through Barcelona's renowned academy in the early 1990s and went on to play for Manchester United, though injuries limited his impact there. He has carved out a successful post-playing career as a manager and executive, and has been serving as Ajax sporting director since 2025—the club where his father's storied journey began.
Sons following fathers into professional soccer is fairly common, but third and fourth generation players are considerably rarer given how challenging it is to forge a career in any professional sport. Nevertheless, there are a number of notable examples.
The Maldini dynasty has now reached its third generation, beginning with AC Milan icon Cesare Maldini in the 1960s, before Paolo Maldini went on to become one of the finest defenders the game has ever seen throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Daniel Maldini made a number of appearances for the Rossoneri early in his career in the 2020s and continues to play in Serie A for Cagliari, on loan from Atalanta.
It may come as a surprise that Pelé was the middle link in the three-generation Do Nascimento soccer family, though his father, Dondinho, and his son, Edinho, enjoyed far more modest careers in Brazil compared to one of the sport's all-time greats.
The Kluivert name is another example, with Kenneth Kluivert having been a professional player in Suriname. His son and grandson, Patrick and Justin, have since brought the family name to worldwide recognition.
Eiður Guðjohnsen famously came on as a substitute to replace his own father, Arnór Borg, during an international match for Iceland in 1994. Today, all three sons of the former Chelsea and Barcelona striker are professional players in Iceland, Sweden and England.
In Spain, the Alonso family has connections to both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Former Chelsea left back Marcos Alonso came through the Real Madrid youth ranks before later representing Barcelona. His father, also named Marcos, was a Barcelona player and Spain international during the 1980s. Before him, his father Marquitos was part of Real Madrid's dominant side of the 1950s.
Remarkably, four generations of the Veselý family have represented Czech club Slavia Prague. The most celebrated member was František Veselý II, a standout player of the 1960s and 1970s and a European champion with Czechoslovakia. His father and son, both also named František Veselý, also turned out for Slavia. A fourth Veselý, Daniel, made a handful of appearances during the 2010s.