There’s always something fantastic about the last day of the season, when, having successfully avoided relegation or perhaps even won something, footballers are joined on the pitch by their families in the brilliant spring sunshine. Social media has given us a glimpse into the lives of professional athletes, but there’s something poignantly visceral about these pitchside moments.
Perhaps it has to do with the famous Bobby Robson quote about what exactly a club is supposed to represent:
"What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes. It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love."
In essence, these moments represent one giant family gathering.
Here are some of the best footballer family photos of all time.