Premier League Brothers: The Best Sibling Duos To Play In England’s Top Flight

Premier League Brothers: The Best Sibling Duos To Play In England’s Top Flight

To make it as a professional footballer players often start to perfect their skills from a young age. This exercise is made easier when you have a sibling who creates a natural rivalry in everything you do, let alone football. The child who shows the most promise in their junior years is normally backed financially, trying to make every kid’s dream a reality.

This leaves the other sibling in the wake of their brother, with their footballing dreams diminished before they even got started. However there have been many cases in Premier League history where brothers have made it to England’s highest division together.

We have delved into the archives of the Premier League many times before, analysing the many records clubs and players have accumulated over the years. Make sure to check out our other articles to uncover the rich footballing history of England’s highest division. However this article looks at the best sibling duos to have played in England’s top flight.

5 - Fabio & Rafael Da Silva

The duo racked up 189 Premier League appearances, with Fabio achieving 80 appearances whilst Rafael reached 109. Unlike some of the other sibling duos on this list, the Da Silva brothers both played for the same club at the same time, as they represented Manchester United together.

Their footballing journey began at Fluminense when the pair were just 11 years old. Whilst playing for the Brazilian club they were both scouted by Manchester United, with a deal agreed for the young Brazilians to join the Red Devils in February 2007. They went on to sign for United aged 17 in January 2008 without ever making a first team appearance for Fluminense.

Rafael went on to become the more successful of the two brothers, as he managed to lock down the right-back spot during his stay with the club. Fabio faced more challenges, as he had to contend with Patrice Evra for the left-back position amongst tackling multiple injuries.

Overall the pair’s time in the Premier League was very successful, as the brothers were part of the team’s that won the 2008/09 and 2010/11 Premier League titles, with Rafael winning an extra Premier League title in the 2012/13 season.

Football players you never knew where twins, A thread

1. Fabio and Rafael Da Silva pic.twitter.com/V4Y6FnE81d

— King Jessey (@Ziggys_Studios) May 31, 2023

4 - André & Jordan Ayew

The Ghanian brothers come from a family rich in football heritage, with their father being the infamous Abedi Pelé. It’s no wonder that the duo have recorded 407 Premier League appearances between them, as Jordan Ayew has recorded 305 appearances with André Ayew having made 102.

André Ayew

André was the first of the brothers to play in the Premier League as he signed for Swansea City in June 2015. He made 46 Premier League appearances over two stints for the Welsh club, representing the Swans during the 2015/16 and 2017/18 seasons. André scored 12 goals and recorded five assists during his time with Swansea in England’s top flight.

In between these spells he spent two campaigns with West Ham, making 43 appearances for the Hammers. He struggled to make the same impact at the London based side as he did with Swansea, notching up nine goals and four assists across the two seasons.

The Ghanian’s most recent stint in the Premier League came with Nottingham Forest, when he played for the Reds in the 2022/23 season. However he only made 13 Premier League appearances for the Tricky Trees before leaving to join Le Havre AC in Ligue 1 the following season.

3587. André AYEW

Winger - 17.12.89 - GHA (120/24)

Prem Debut:
08/08/2015 (Chelsea vs. SWANSEA CITY, D 2-2)

Prem Clubs:
Swansea City (15-16), West Ham United (16-18), Swansea City (18), Nottingham Forest (23)

Prem Apps: 102
Prem Goals: 21 pic.twitter.com/9wHGeV2Vg9

— Premier League Players (@premlgeplayers) July 26, 2025

Jordan Ayew

Jordan Ayew’s first Premier League team was Aston Villa, as he joined the club in July 2015. He made 30 Premier League appearances for the Villians before joining Swansea City in January 2017. Jordan played alongside his brother during the 2017/18 season with the Welsh club, being a regular starter during that campaign.

In July 2019, after making 50 Premier League appearances for the Swans, Jordan Ayew joined Crystal Palace in what would become a six-year stint with the south London club. The forward went on to make 195 Premier League appearances for the Eagles, scoring 22 goals and providing 20 assists.

The Ghanian international spent the 2024/25 season with Leicester City making 30 Premier League appearances for the Foxes. Jordan scored five top flight goals for the East Midlands club in the campaign which saw the team get relegated back to the Championship.

Jordan Ayew has been fouled more times than any other player in the last five Premier League seasons (372). 🤕 pic.twitter.com/hAhptqnTvD

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) August 4, 2025

3 - Rio & Anton Ferdinand

The Ferdinand brothers managed to accumulate 722 Premier League appearances during their careers. Rio Ferdinand contributed to 504 of those appearances, with Anton Ferdianand making up the other 218. The brothers, like the Ayew’s, both played in the same position and represented the same club whilst in the Premier League. Both Rio and Anton started their footballing journeys with West Ham, with their debut seasons being 10 years apart.

Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand was just 17 years old when he made his Premier League debut with West Ham in the 1995/96 season. He quickly became an integral part of the Hammers team as two years later he made 35 Premier League appearances for the club. The Englishman spent six seasons with the London based team, making 127 appearances during that time.

Rio spent the 2000/01 and 2001/02 campaigns with Leeds United, making 54 Premier League appearances in those two seasons. This attracted interest from Manchester United, who signed the centre-back in July 2002. This was the beginning of a 12-year spell with the Red Devils in which he won six Premier League titles, three League Cups, one European Cup and one World Club Cup.

The Englishman often found himself captaining United and created his legacy of being one of the best defenders the Premier League has ever seen. After his long and successful stint with Manchester United, Rio spent the 2014/15 season with QPR, featuring 11 times in the top flight for the Rs.

📅 On this day, 23 years ago, Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United for a record £30M fee.

🏟 455 games
⛔️ 203 clean sheets

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Premier League
🏆🏆🏆🏆 Community Shield
🏆🏆 League Cup
🏆 Champions League
🏆 Club World Cup

👔 One very dodgy suit pic.twitter.com/x1zW8b9Ysr

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) July 21, 2025

Anton Ferdinand

Anton’s Premier League career was much shorter compared to his brother’s, as he spent nine seasons in England’s highest division. From the 2005/06 campaign to the 2007/08 season, the centre-back was a regular starter for the Hammers as he made 89 Premier league appearances for the club.

The following four campaigns saw Anton represent Sunderland, making 85 top flight appearances during that period. He then spent the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons, like his brother, at QPR before making a move abroad to play in Turkey.

Anton ultimately spent his footballing career in the shadow of his older brother Rio, but became a reliable and consistent Premier League player.

Today's #PremierLeague player of the day is..

🟣 Anton FERDINAND! ⚪️

📈 218 #PL apps | ⚽️ 4 goals

- West Ham United (05/06 - 07/08)
- Sunderland (08/09 - 11/12)
- Queens Park Rangers (11/12 - 12/13)

Share your memories of his #EPL career! ⬇️#WHUFC | #SAFC | #QPR pic.twitter.com/gTwehbVcq4

— Premier League Player of the Day! (@PLPlayerDaily) June 22, 2025

2 - Kolo & Yaya Touré

Despite having less combined Premier League appearances than the Ferdinand brothers with 583, the quality of Kolo and Yaya Touré push them up to second place on this list. Unlike most pairings on in this ranking, the Touré duo are one of the closer matched pairings in terms of combined ability.

Kolo Touré

Kolo Touré was the first brother to play in the Premier League and contributed to 353 of the total 583 Premier League appearances. His debut season in England’s top flight was the 2002/03 season, in which he established himself as a key figure within a strong Arsenal team.

The following season saw Touré become an integral part of the Gunners team that went unbeaten in the league, earning the ‘Invincibles’ title. The centre-back spent seven seasons with the London based club making 225 Premier League appearances for the team.

Kolo then spent from the 2009/10 season to the 2012/13 campaign with Manchester City, accumulating 82 top flight appearances for the club. He helped the Citizens win their first ever Premier League title in the 2011/12 season, with his involvement in the team being more of a squad player.

The Cote d’Ivoire international then spent three years at Liverpool, playing for the Reds from the 2013/14 season until the 2015/16 campaign. He recorded a further 46 appearances whilst playing for the Merseyside club, capping off a very impressive Premier League career.

Yaya and Kolo Touré facing each other when Arsenal played Beveren in a pre-season friendly in 2002. pic.twitter.com/aT0qC4AZwX

— VERSUS (@vsrsus) October 8, 2024

Yaya Touré

Yaya Touré spent all of his eight seasons in the Premier League with Manchester City, becoming one of the best midfielders in City’s history. Yaya made a total of 230 Premier League appearances for the Citizens, scoring 60 goals and recording 31 assists in England’s highest division.

Yaya Touré won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and one Community Shield with Manchester City. In the 2013/14 Premier League season Yaya scored 20 goals and assisted nine other goals, bringing his goal contributions for that league season to 29.

2013/14 Yaya Touré. No caption needed. pic.twitter.com/GuW4bri7lC

— VERSUS (@vsrsus) August 26, 2025

1- Gary and Phil Neville

The Neville brothers top the list for being the best sibling duo to play in the Premier League. Between them they have recorded 902 Premier League appearances, the most of any pairing on this list. Phil made the more Premier League appearances out of the duo as he racked up 504 appearances compared to his brother’s 397.

Gary’s injury problems towards the end of his career curtailed the number of games he could play, showing how their combined 902 Premier League appearances may have been surpassed if Gary stayed fit throughout his career.

Their trophy cabinets are by far the most illustrious of any duo on this list, with Gary Neville winning 19 trophies during his career with the Red Devils. The most notable pieces of silverware that he won include eight Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues and three FA Cups.

Phil Neville won 10 trophies with Manchester United, which consisted of six Premier League titles, one Champions League and an FA Cup before his transfer to Everton.

Both Gary and Phil Neville were part of United’s academy and were members of the infamous “Class of 92” of young players that rose up to the first team under Sir Alex Ferguson. The Neville brothers were also both part of United’s treble winning team in 1999, something that every kid dreams of achieving with their sibling.

Overall the Neville duo are the best sibling pair to have ever played in the Premier League, a feat that will be hard to topple.

When brothers Gary and Phil Neville totally blanked each other before a Manchester vs Everton clash.

Different era, different mentality. 🔥pic.twitter.com/gYonfcrZE8

— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) April 24, 2025