Steven Gerrard is now a proud grandfather after his daughter, Lilly-Ella, gave birth to a baby girl.
While this will be a moment of unbridled joy for the Liverpool and England legend, it also marks the formal coming together of two strikingly different families.
After all, the baby’s 25-year-old father, Lee Byrne, is the son of Liam Byrne – a senior member of Ireland’s feared Kinahan Cartel.
The gang – which now operates from Dubai – is one of the world’s most powerful organised crime groups with a multi-million pound empire spanning drug-smuggling, arms-running, money laundering and extortion.
While there is no suggestion Lee is involved in crime, his relationship with Lilly-Ella has certainly raised eyebrows, with former Garda assistant commissioner Pat Leahy previously warning Gerrard that any links with the Byrne clan did him ‘no favours’.
Mr Leahy made the comments in 2023, shortly after Liam was arrested over an arms smuggling plot.
A year later, he was sentenced to five years in prison, a moment Lee marked by writing: ‘I love you da. See you soon’. He was let out in January under Labour’s early release scheme after serving just three months.
While Gerrard may have been the latest public figure to face scrutiny for his Kinahan links, he is far from the first.
A raft of other celebrities have also come into their orbit, from shamed UFC fighter Conor McGregor to some of the biggest names in the boxing world, including perhaps the greatest of all – Tyson Fury.
Lee Byrne in Dubai with his girlfriend Lilly-Ella Gerrard (left) and her parents, former England captain Steven and his wife Alex
Lee and Lilly-Ella have celebrated the bird of a baby girl, who was born on Tuesday
Footballing legend Steven (pictured), 45, is now a grandfather for the first time
Like Gerrard, McGregor is tied to the Kinahans through a relative – with his sister, Aoife, dating convicted drug-dealer and money-launderer Graham ‘The Wig’ Whelan.
Whelan, 41, is a reputedly linked to the cartel, which has been blamed for gangland slayings in a string of countries including Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
Patriarch Christopher ‘Christy’ Kinahan, 68, began the mob in Dublin in the late 1990s, but it is now thought to be run by his 48-year-old son, Daniel.
The US has offered a $5 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of Christy, Daniel, and his brother – Christy Jr.
Whelan has been in a relationship with Aoife since 2021, and in 2023 she went public by sharing an image of them together at McGregor’s pub, the Black Forge Inn, in the Dublin suburb of Crumlin.
The couple were seen sitting on the couch with a large glass of whiskey on the table in front of them. Aoife has one arm draping over his shoulder and the other on his leg.
Whelan has also played several games for the pub’s football team and appeared in several photographs with McGregor.
It’s believed the picture of Aoife and Whelan at the Black Forge Inn was taken days after he was released from jail after serving an 18-month sentence for money laundering.
While there is no suggestion Lee is involved in crime, his relationship with Lilly-Ella has certainly raised eyebrows
Lee’s father Liam was sentenced to five years in prison last year. Lee marked the moment by writing : ‘I love you da. See you soon’. He was let out in January under Labour’s early release scheme after serving just three months
Gerrard pictured with Nathan ‘Biggie’ Little, who has been previously named in the Irish High Court as a low-level member of the Byrne Organised Crime Group. This is considered the Irish wing of the Kinahan cartel
Whelan was also a guest at the wedding of McGregor’s other sister, Erin, in County Tipperary in August.
A self-described ‘dangerous criminal’, Whelan was associated with David Byrne, who was shot dead in a gun attack at Dublin’s Regency Hotel in February 2016.
David was Liam’s brother, and therefore Lee’s uncle.
While Daniel Kinahan is currently keeping a low profile, he previously worked as a boxing promoter in an apparent attempt to gain a reputation as a legitimate businessman.
In 2012 he set up his own management company, MTK Global, which was first based in Marbella before moving to Dubai.
He went on to work with some of the leading lights of boxing, including former world champion Tyson Fury.
Their business relationship was openly acknowledged by the Gypsy King, who once hailed Daniel as a ‘key advisor’ and was pictured with him in Dubai.
In June 2020, Fury credited him with helping to organise his big comeback fight against Anthony Joshua, saying in a social media video: ‘I’m just after getting off the phone with Daniel Kinahan.
Conor McGregor with his sister Aoife, who is going out with Kinahan associate Graham ‘The Wig’ Whelan
Last year she went public after sharing this image of them together at McGregor’s pub in Dublin
McGregor (centre) is pictured at a family wedding with Whelan (left)
‘He’s just informed me that the biggest fight in British boxing history has just been agreed. Get in there my boy! Big thank you Dan for getting this deal over the line. ‘
Daniel was also involved in brokering a deal for Fury’s second and third fights against Deontay Wilder, as well as his bouts against Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin in 2019.
Scrutiny of Fury’s ties to Daniel increased in April 2022 when the US Treasury imposed sanctions on the mobster, his brother, father, and several associates.
At one point, their relationship even led to the boxer being briefly banned from the US.
After long refusing to share details about his relationship with Daniel, Fury finally broke his silence in April 2022 by insisting that his crime links were ‘none of my business, and I don’t get involved in other people’s business’.
Fury added that he had not dealt with the gangster ‘for a long time’.
Other boxers who signed up with MTK included Billy Joe Saunders, Josh Taylor and Carl Frampton.
Daniel’s other cheerleaders included the flyweight Sunny Edwards and former UFC fighter turned boxer Darren Till. Like Fury, none have been accused of any crimes.
Tyson Fury posing with Daniel Kinahan in Dubai in 2022, when the mob boss was acting as his advisor
Kinahan has previously worked with other leading British boxers, including Sunny Edwards
Kinahan with former UFC fighter turned boxer Darren Till
Asked in 2023 about his involvement with MTK, Frampton said he got a ‘fair bit of grief’ for it but did not have any regrets because they were ‘good for me’.
Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum also dealt with Daniel and admitted this year to being tricked by the gangster’s claims to have stepped away from crime.
‘Remember at the time, things around his reputation were debatable – I fell for the thing he was a bad guy but he had changed and he had gone legit,’ he told the Irish Sun.
While the Kinahans have long enjoyed a glitzy lifestyle and connections with the rich and famous, their luck may soon run out.
They are now believed to be planning a move from Dubai after their alleged senior associate, Sean McGovern, became the first person to be extradited from the UAE to Ireland after a treaty was finally ratified.
McGovern’s arrest and extradition is the latest blow to the Kinahans following the successful prosecution of their UK chief, Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh.
Christy Kinahan began the Kinahan Cartel as a drug-dealing ring in Dublin in the 1990s and has expanded it into a global empire. Son Daniel (right) is believed to run its day-to-day operations
Kavanagh was originally handed a 21-year jail term in 2022.
He was given another six years in 2024 for amassing a stash of firearms before sharing their location with police in the hope of securing a softer sentence.
As the net tightens on the Kinahans, they are said to be considering moving their base to a more welcoming location – such as the Iranian territory of Kish Island.
