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.

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.

Marcus Neill (C) is the son of Socceroos great Lucas Neill. Picture: Supplied

“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.”

Lucas Neill is one of Australia’s greatest Socceroos. Picture Gregg Porteous

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.

Mark Robertson, Alexander Robertson of the Socceroos and Alex Robertson pose after Alexander’s Socceroos debut. Picture: Getty

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.