Australia’s next Golden Generation: Meet the talented sons of Socceroos greats
Australia’s Golden Generation is getting a reboot – with the sons of some of the country’s finest footballers following in their fathers’ giant footsteps. We reveal the next gen stars inside.
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Cahill, Neill, Okon, Viduka, Skoko, Popovic – these names are hard to miss when trawling through Football Australia’s record books and they are starting to appear again, decades later, in the newest pages.
While most of them are scattered across the globe playing in Croatia, Sweden, England, Italy and Greece – Australian selectors certainly have their eyes on the sons of the “Golden Generation” of Socceroos.
Dual World Cup player Lucas Neill’s son Marcus is in the Under-18s Australian squad and is playing with English club Sunderland.
Marcus, an attacker, plays a very different role on the field to his dad, who was a defender, but he said his father had played a vital role in his career.
“Moving away from home could’ve been tough, but dad made it feel normal,” Marcus told Sunderland media.
“He reminded me that he’d left Australia for England. He helped me see it as an adventure, not something to be afraid of.
“People talk about what he did in his career and rightly so.
“But to me, he’s always just been my dad. Supportive, grounded, and always there when I needed him.
“He never pushed me into football. There was never that pressure because of his name. He let me fall in love with the game in my way. Once I did, he was just there to help with no fuss, no ego, just little bits of advice here and there.”
Marcus might have a big surname to live up to but the teen is doing a fine job of making a name for himself.
He scored 17 goals for Sunderland’s youth team – finishing as the club’s top goalscorer across all academy sides.
“He always jokes that he was better than me at my age,” Marcus said.
“I tell him I’ve already scored more goals than he did in his whole career! It’s just good fun between us.
“After every game, whether I’ve scored or not, he’s always positive.
“He keeps me grounded and helps me look at the bigger picture. I know he’s proud, and that means everything.”
Marcus’ on field efforts caught the attention of Football Australia selectors with the teen named in the Australian U-18 side at the UEFA Friendship Cup.
He took to the pitch for the game against Argentina which ended in a 0-0 draw.
“It was a proud moment for me and for my family,” he said.
“Wearing the Australia badge means a lot, especially knowing my dad wore it so many times. He just told me to enjoy the moment and give everything for the shirt.”
GOLDEN GENERATION 2.0
MARCUS NEILL
Father: Lucas Neill, 96 caps
Age: 16
Club: Sunderland
National: U18s Australian team
Position: Forward
Marcus Neill made his start in England with Liverpool Academy before making the move to Sunderland. The teen is proving he has some serious skills in front of the goal, netting 17 in his first season.
ALEX ROBERTSON
Father: Mark Robertson, Caps 1,
Age: 22
Club: Cardiff City
National: Socceroos, debut in 2023 but not tied to Australia due to games being friendlies – eligible to play for England, Scotland and Peru.
Position: Midfielder
The promising midfielder is yet to officially declare which country he wants to represent on a national level. He has played for the Socceroos but as the matches were friendlies they are not binding.
LIAM CHIPPERFIELD
Father: Scott Chipperfield, 68 Caps
Age: 21
Club: FC Sion, Swiss Super League
National: represent Switzerland at a junior level
Position: Attacking midfielder
Liam’s Socceroos playing father also did a stint in Switzerland during his career and it seems the 21-year-old has a strong affiliation with his birth country. The dynamic attacking midfielder has represented Sweden at a junior level. He played 18 matches for FC Sion last season, registering three assists.
EMIN DURAKOVIC
Father: Mehmet Durakovic, 64 Caps
Age: 19
Club: Melbourne City
National: Young Socceroos
Position: Midfielder
His father was a defender but Emin Durakovic is a promising midfielder. He played five matches for Melbourne City in the A-League last season and will be looking to lock in more minutes and consistent squad inclusions next season.
PAUL OKON-ENGSTLER
Father: Paul Okon, 28 Caps
Age: 20
Club: Benfica B
National: named in first Socceroos squad, Young Socceroos
Position: Midfielder
His father is the assistant coach to Tony Popovic but Paul Okon-Engstler has certainly earned his right for a call up to the Socceroos and will be itching to get his official debut.
NOA SKOKO
Father: Josip Skoko, 51 Caps
Age: 19
Club: Hajduk Split
National: Youth Croatian team
Position: Midfielder
Making a name for himself at the same club as his father Josip, Noa has made it pretty clear he intends to play for Croatia. The teen already has more than 20 Caps at a youth level, even captaining the U-18s Croatian team.
LUKA SKOKO
Father: Josip Skoko, 51 Caps
Age: 22
Club: NK Hrvace
Position: Midfielder
The older brother of Noa, Luka is working hard to take his career to the next level in Croatia.
GABRIEL POPOVIC
Father: Tony Popovic, 58 Caps
Age: 21
Club: Catania
National: U23 Australian team
Position: Forward
Got his start at Sydney United FC and A-League side Perth Glory and is now honing his skills for Catania. He has had experience in the national team set up playing for the Australian U-23s.
KRISTIAN POPOVIC
Father: Tony Popovic, 58 Caps
Age: 23
Club: Macarthur FC
Position: Midfielder
Missed the most recent A-League’s season due to a knee injury but has signed with Macarthur for the 2025/26 season.
OLIVER VIDUKA
Father: Mark Viduka, 43 Caps
Age: 17
Club: NK Ravnice
Position: Midfielder
His dad was one of Australia’s most prolific footballers and was part of the 2006 World Cup team that reached the Round of 16. The family relocated to Croatia and Oliver is working his way up the ranks to the senior competition.
SHAE CAHILL
Father: Tim Cahill, 108 Caps
Age: 20
Club: Nottingham Forest
Position: Midfielder
After a brief stint with A-League club Brisbane Roar Shae Cahill is back playing in England – singing with Nottingham Forrest’s U-21 side. He previously played for Everton’s U18s side.
DIMITRI VALKANIS
Father: Michael Valkanis, 22 Caps
Age: 19
Club: AEK Athens B
National team: Young Socceroos
Position: Defender
The promising defender made his national team debut in the U20s Australian team last year. He plays in the Greek Super League 2 competition and will be looking to earn more minutes on the pitch this season.
JULIAN SCHWARZER
Father: Mark Schwarzer, 109 Caps
Age: 25
Club: Newtown AFC
National: Philippines national team
Position: Goalkeeper
Mark Schwarzer is the most capped Socceroos – playing 109 games between the sticks for the Socceroos – his son Julian is following in his footsteps – just not in a green and gold jersey. Julian has opted to represent the Philippines, the home country of his mother. He played nine games for Newton in the Welsh Premier League last season.
OLIVER KALAC
Father: Zeljko Kalac, 54 Caps
Age: 22
Club: Apia Leichhardt
National: Joeys
Position: Goalkeeper
With his father a respected goalkeeper for the Socceroos and now coach it is no surprise Oliver picked up the gloves too. He has played for the Western Sydney Wanderers academy side. He represented Australia at the U17 World Cup in 2019 and tried to get a break overseas before returning to play in the NPL.
KANE VIDMAR
Father: Tony Vidmar, 76
Age: 21
Club: Western United
National: Young Socceroos
Position: Defender
Like father like son. Kane stands in the backline just like his famous Socceroos playing dad Tony. In his six appearances for Western United last season he scored one goal. He is known for his excellent ball-playing skills and ability to read the game.
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