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More Than The Score

More Than The Score

What is it like following a family member into professional football?

13 January 2026

27 minutes

Available for over a year

What’s it like to follow a family member into professional football? Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele and his sons André, Jordan, and Ibrahim Ayew all played at the highest level. There's also George Weah - the only African player to win the Ballon d'or. His son Timothy plays for USA. Zinedine Zidane’s son Luca has been playing for Algeria at Afcon, while Guiliano Simeone plays under his father at Atletico Madrid.

The BBC’s Ade Adedoyin is joined by Norway women and Bayern Munich defender, Tuva Hansen and the former Liverpool and England forward Natasha Dowie, to chat about the reality of carrying a famous name in football. They also discuss whether it’s a help or a hindrance and at what point do you outgrow the influence of your family?

Tuva has over 50 caps for her country and has won multiple titles in Germany. Her dad, Hugo, played professionally in Norway and went on to represent his country too. Tuva's older siblings, brother Cato and sister Hege, both also played professionally. Natasha’s uncle Iain played for Northern Ireland and went on to have a managerial career in the Premier League, while her father Bob, is a former football coach, Director of Football at Crystal Palace and played a significant role in her football journey.

More than the Score is the BBC World Service's daily podcast exploring stories from all over the world of sport. Every Monday to Friday, we're telling stories beyond the scoreline, from athletics to Formula 1, boxing to bobsleigh, and football to the NFL. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like pole vault titan Mondo Duplantis, boxing royalty Cecilia Braekhus and tennis legend Boris Becker, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from top football scouts to physios who keep NBA stars in peak condition. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.

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