Shaqueel van Persie made his senior debut for Feyenoord in the Europa League against Celtic, with his father Robin van Persie emphasizing that the decision was purely tactical rather than sentimental.

The 19-year-old forward, who spent two years at Manchester City’s academy before joining Feyenoord in 2017, signed his first professional contract with the Dutch club in 2022. Shaqueel’s debut in the Eredivisie came on Sunday against NEC Nijmegen, followed by his first-team appearance in the Europa League four days later.

Robin van Persie, Feyenoord’s manager and former Arsenal and Manchester United striker, explained that he made the call purely on footballing grounds:

“I made that call as a coach, not as a dad because we needed a goal. Shaqueel is a player who can score from all angles. That was the reason I brought him on.”

Despite the special moment for the family, Shaqueel had limited opportunity to impact the game, coming on in the 81st minute with the score at 2-1. Celtic scored their third goal shortly after his introduction.

“From a father’s point of view, when your son makes his debut it is always special. But I wasn’t that busy with enjoying the moment—I was doing my work like Shaqueel was,” Robin added.

Father-Son Duos in Football History

Robin van Persie is not the first manager to give his son a debut. BBC Sport highlights several notable father-son combinations in professional football:

• Johan and Jordi Cruyff: Johan managed Barcelona while his son Jordi played 54 games for the club. Jordi also had stints at Manchester United and earned nine caps for Spain.
• Harry and Jamie Redknapp: Jamie played under his father Harry at Bournemouth and Southampton, totaling 38 appearances. Harry also managed his nephew Frank Lampard at West Ham.
• Steve and Alex Bruce: Alex played the majority of his professional games under his father at Birmingham and Hull, later joining Steve’s coaching staff at West Brom.
• Zinedine and Enzo & Luca Zidane: Enzo and Luca featured under their father at Real Madrid, with Enzo scoring in Copa del Rey and Luca playing in La Liga.
• Darren and Alex Ferguson: Darren made his senior debut at Manchester United under Sir Alex before moving to Wolves.
• Diego and Giuliano Simeone: Giuliano debuted for Atletico Madrid under Diego in a La Liga match against Granada in 2022.
• Danny and Daley Blind: Daley played for his father Danny at the Netherlands national team from 2015 to 2017.

Van Persie emphasized that Shaqueel is treated as any other player in the squad:

“The way I see Shaqueel is as one of the players. We agreed on this a couple of years ago. He was handling it really well, and I am too. Later, of course, we will have a proud moment at home. He worked hard and deserved his debut—it’s a special moment for him.”

Shaqueel’s progression reflects both his talent and the professional approach taken by his father, balancing parental pride with coaching responsibilities.