United's Past Sibling Rivalries

Several Manchester United players have come up against their siblings over the years.

From Jack and Arthur Rowley to Bryan and Gary Robson, there have been some famous family ties with several Reds players facing off against familiar foes.

Paul Pogba will come up against his older brother Florentin when the Reds take on Saint-Etienne in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 32 tie at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

And, with that in mind, we have delved into the history books to pick out five United players who have crossed paths with their siblings...

Bobby and Jack Charlton
Arguably the most outstanding inter-family rivalry came in the Charlton household, where United’s Bobby and Leeds’ Jack regularly did battle amid the fierce cross-Pennines meetings of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The pair, who were also team-mates in England’s World Cup final victory in 1966, met on a number of occasions, including the goalless FA Cup semi-final in March 1965 during which Jack was involved in a fight with Denis Law. Both Jack and Bobby also got on the scoresheet in a 2-2 draw at Elland Road in October 1970.

Brian and Jimmy Greenhoff
After playing in the same United team for three years and lifting the FA Cup together in 1977, the pair met in direct opposition in May 1980. Reds striker Jimmy was part of the side beaten 2-0 by rivals Leeds, for whom Brian played in defence, in a fiery First Division spectacle at Elland Road. Although the two clubs met on a regular basis during that period, it was the only occasion the brothers locked horns before Brian left the Yorkshire club in 1982. The skilful defender, who scored 13 goals in 221 appearances for the Reds between 1970 and 1979, sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 60.

Gary and Phil Neville
The Neville brothers grew up together as successful graduates of United’s Academy before Phil completed a switch to Everton in the summer of 2005. The pair wore the captain’s armband for their respective clubs in two of the five games they faced each other. Phil came up against Gary just days after moving to Goodison Park, with the Reds running out 2-0 winners, before he returned to Old Trafford for the first time in a 1-1 draw in December that year. Gary got the better of his younger brother in a 3-0 win in 2006, with Phil again operating in midfield, and in a 1-0 home success in 2009 before the two full-backs crossed paths for the final time in a 3-1 defeat for United in 2010.

Rio and Anton Ferdinand
United defender Rio’s successful 11-year stint at Old Trafford was regularly punctuated by reunions with younger brother Anton, who played for various Premier League clubs. The first meeting of the two centre-backs came on a poignant day for United in a 2-1 win at West Ham in their first game since the passing of club great George Best in November 2005. The pair met in two other United-West Ham matches, with Anton scoring the winner for the Hammers at Upton Park in 2007. After Anton’s move to Sunderland, they met on three other occasions, including a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in which Anton scored a late own goal which rescued a point for the Reds. Rio then came out on top against Anton’s QPR in a 2-0 home win for the Reds in 2012.

Jackie and Danny Blanchflower
The Northern Irish duo played against each other six times during the 1950s, on one occasion when United faced Villa and in five encounters between United and Spurs. Reds defender Jackie faced his older brother Danny in a 2-2 draw in Division One in March 1954 and set up both goals for Tommy Taylor at Villa Park. The pair then met when Danny captained Spurs in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and a 2-1 win for the Reds at White Hart Lane – both in August 1955. The following season, they also met on two occasions in a 2-2 draw at the Theatre of Dreams in November 1956 and a goalless stalemate in April 1957. In November that year, Jackie endured a day to forget in a 4-3 defeat for the Reds at Old Trafford, in which he scored an own goal.