With Davide Ancelotti, son of the legendary Carlo, reportedly set to become the next manager of Rangers, he joins a long list of footballing family members who’ve ventured north to Scotland.
Over the years, well-known and lesser-known siblings and sons of football royalty have arrived with big names and varying levels of success.
Here’s a look back at some notable examples and how they fared in Scottish football:
Claude Anelka (Raith Rovers)
Brother of former Arsenal, Chelsea, and Real Madrid star Nicolas Anelka, Claude arrived in 2004 after investing £300,000 in First Division side Raith Rovers and giving himself the power to appoint himself as the manager.
He badly misjudged the level, signing French amateurs well short of the required standard. His side played poor football, alienated key players, and secured just one draw from eight games before resigning in early October, but not before naming himself Director of Football. He resigned entirely later that month.
Club legend Gordon Dalziel took over for the rest of the season, but Raith were ultimately easily relegated.
Paul Dalglish (Livingston, Hibernian, Kilmarnock)
The Glasgow-born son of Scottish legend Kenny Dalglish, Paul started at his dad’s club Newcastle United before bouncing around the lower leagues in England.
At 27, he returned to Scotland to join Livingston after a year out. He had a solid spell under Paul Lambert, scoring four goals in 20 appearances, including one against his dad’s old club Celtic.
He then moved to Hibernian, but again struggled, netting just once in 13 games. He retired in 2008 after a goalless stint at Kilmarnock.
Rodney Sneijder (Dundee United)
Brother of Dutch international Wesley Sneijder, Rodney joined Dundee United in 2015 with decent expectations after a trial.
He played only 18 minutes against Aberdeen before citing health issues and leaving by the end of August. He never made another first-team appearance in professional football but later played in the Dutch amateur leagues.
Timothy Weah (Celtic)
The son of George Weah, Liberia’s previous president and a former Ballon d’Or winner, Timothy joined Celtic on loan from PSG in January 2019.
Dubbed a “wonderkid,” he scored four times in 17 games as Celtic secured a domestic treble. While he collected both league and cup medals, he didn’t fully live up to the hype.
Since then, he’s won Ligue 1 with Lille, the Coppa Italia with Juventus, and earned over 40 caps for the USMNT, but hasn’t matched his father’s legacy.
Mathias Pogba (Partick Thistle)
The elder brother of Paul Pogba, Mathias, signed for Partick Thistle in 2015 from Crawley Town. He helped the club stay up in his first season, though he scored just twice in 30 appearances, developing a reputation for wastefulness in front of goal.
He netted once early in the 2016/17 season but was released by mutual consent. Oddly, he joined Sparta Rotterdam and even scored against Feyenoord, but gradually faded into the lower leagues.
Off the pitch, things spiralled; In 2022, he was charged and detained over a €13 million blackmail attempt targeting Paul.
Released under judicial review later that year, he was sentenced in December 2024 to three years in prison (two suspended), to be served via electronic surveillance, along with a €20,000 fine.
So much for brotherly love.
Nigel Hasselbaink (Hamilton, St Mirren, St Johnstone)
Nephew of Premier League star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Nigel joined Hamilton in 2010 after an impressive trial.
He had a modest season as Accies were relegated, but made a mark at St Mirren, scoring eight goals and becoming a cult hero. He then enjoyed two solid years at St Johnstone, again helping avoid the drop.
He returned to Hamilton in 2015 but scored only once in 10 games. Afterwards, he succeeded in the Eredivisie and Israeli football and scored eight goals in nine caps for Suriname before retiring.
Brian Laudrup (Rangers)
A controversial one, famous but not as famous as his brother Michael, Brian Laudrup joined Rangers in the summer of 1994 after poor spells with both Fiorentina and AC Milan. He quickly became a fan favourite, dubbed ‘God’ by the Ibrox faithful.
He scored 44 goals in 150 games for Rangers, which won three league championships and two cup medals, before departing for Chelsea in 1998 after Rangers failed to win their tenth successive championship.
On his first conversation with then Rangers boss, the late Walter Smith, Laudrup said: “I spoke to Walter and said, ‘before you read anything in the papers I’ve just had an offer from Barcelona, and I’ve turned it down’. He didn’t say anything for a minute and then he said, ‘So you’d prefer to play Falkirk on a Tuesday night?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I love it’ and he laughed and shook my hand. ‘OK, let’s get on with it,’ he said.”
A true legend in Blue.
Will Davide Ancelotti Thrive or Fade?
A real mixed bag of success stories and flops, from cult heroes to total disasters.
Will Davide Ancelotti carve out his legacy at Rangers, following in his father’s legendary footsteps and becoming an icon akin to Laudrup? Or will he go the way of Claude Anelka, who is remembered more for chaos than coaching?
