Brooklyn Beckham and Kai Rooney dealt with the pressure of being sons of footballing legends very differently. David and Victoria Beckham's eldest son celebrated his 27th birthday on Wednesday, while 16-year-old Kai is the oldest of Wayne and Coleen Rooney's four boys.

Brooklyn is embroiled in a highly publicised familyrowand accused his parents of controlling him for the majority of his life on social media in January. Having previously followed a similar path to his Manchester United legend father, Brooklyn was once part of Arsenal's youth set-up but gave up football aged 15 in 2014.

Now running his own business, Brooklyn's struggle in coping with his father's sporting legacy ultimately led to his departure from football, something Inter Miami co-owner David revealed during a 2015 interview.

Speaking to ABC at the time, David said: "One of my boys turned around to me the other day and said, 'Daddy, I'm not sure I want to play football all the time.' It broke my heart a little bit.

"He said, 'Every time I went to the field, I know people are saying, 'This is David Beckham's son,' and if I am not as good as you, then it is not good enough.'"

During a 2022 conversation with Variety, Brooklyn admitted quitting football was "sad". He said: "My dad wasn't sad because he was like, 'I just want you to be happy.' But of course, I was sad. It was my whole life since I was literally two."

Brooklyn's struggles with the demands of football stand in stark contrast to Kai's situation. The 16-year-old currently plays for Manchester United's U18s side as his father - the club's all-time leading scorer - casts quite the shadow given his legendary status at Old Trafford. Yet, Rooney's distinguished career isn't getting in the way of his son's self-belief.

Whilst Rooney mainly operated as a striker, Kai plays out wide on the right flank. Speaking in September 2024 about the expectations placed on her children, particularly Kai, Coleen said: "We've never pressured them into even playing football. We've always just let them decide what they want to do.

"My eight-year-old was playing and doing really well but then decided he didn't want to, and that's OK. I think they sometimes get pressure off other people, you know. People approach them now and then if we're out, they do say, 'Are you are as good as your dad?'

"Kai says, 'I'm a different type of player.' You've got to let them know that you don't have to follow and to be your own person."