FROM secret children to legal demands to take DNA tests, some footballers are pros at leaving us with more questions than answers when it comes to their offspring.
On Tuesday, ex-Brazil and Manchester City star Jo was arrested in Rio de Janeiro after a court order was issued over unpaid child maintenance.
And back in March, the mum of Thibaut Courtois’ love-child revealed she feared she could be made homeless as she couldn’t afford to pay for her mouldy home – despite the football star’s immense wealth.
Elsa Izac, who has a seven-year-old son with the £35million Real Madrid goalie, slammed him for living a life of luxury in the Spanish capital on pay of £240,000 a week while she faced losing her home over £63k mortgage debt.
They’re far from the only footballers who have been forced to pick up the bill after fathering a love-child – or facing a scandal over the true paternity of kids.
Jetting around the world out of sight of their families back home, it’s not all that surprising that so many footballers have been caught in a bed they shouldn’t be in.
But plenty have had their shenanigans come back to haunt them.
And for some stars, even passing away fails to silence the noise.
Here we take a look at some of football’s biggest love-child scandals over the years…
Vinicius Tobias
It’s not at all uncommon to get a tattoo of your kid’s name – they are your own flesh and blood, after all.
So take a moment to feel for Brazilian international Vinicius Tobias, who got his daughter’s name on his arm only to find out shortly after that he isn’t the dad after all.
His ex-girlfriend Ingrid Lima gave birth to a baby girl named Maite back at the start of October last year, and the Shakhtar Donetsk full-back was confident it was his, despite their separation.
So confident, he got her name tattooed along with the words “I love you” in Portuguese.
But not long after, Ingrid revealed in a post on Instagram that a DNA test had turned everything on its head.
“Vinicius and I haven’t been together for a while. During that time, I was in a relationship with someone and so was he. We both moved on with our lives,” she said.
“In the meantime, Maite came along. We decided to do a DNA test, and Maiite is not Vinicius’ daughter.”
Yaya Touré
Ex-City legend Yaya Touré has faced some pretty shocking allegations over the way he reportedly behaved with the mother of his alleged love-child.
His old girlfriend Mariam Camara, who he met as a teenager growing up in his home nation of Ivory Coast, claims the pair engaged in a four-month affair and would meet for sex in hotels and her Paris flat.
Shockingly, in 2015 she claimed the fling with the married footy star came to an end when he found out she was pregnant.
But it got worse – as Camara claimed Touré would only pay child support if she sent him “naked selfies”.
“I would have to give him something, like naked photos or photos of my bum. And if I didn’t send the photos we wouldn’t get the money,” she said.
“Yaya is a role model to thousands of young people around the world. But he doesn’t have the heart to properly care for his own son.”
A spokesman for Touré at the time declined to comment.
Mother of Courtois’ lovechild faces homelessness
THE mother of Belgian goalie Courtois spoke to The Sun about her fears she could have her home repossessed over unpaid mortgage payments.
Elsa Izac, 50, who lives in a £3million property in Wimbledon, said: “Our house is falling apart. We simply can’t continue to live like this.
“I’m scared the bank will repossess our home and worry whenever someone knocks on the door. I don’t want to find us homeless suddenly.”
The former Versace fashion designer enjoyed a fling with the Belgian goalkeeper after he moved next-door to her after he joined Chelsea.
They had a son, Enzo, now aged 7, in 2017.
Elsa claims Courtois was ordered to pay maintenance to her, but that what she’s currently receiving isn’t enough to cover the £63,000 she owes in mortgage payments.
The Real Madrid star, 32, is currently living it up in the Spanish capital with wages totalling £240,000 a week.
“It is not acceptable for me to see Thibaut travelling on private jets, partying in yachts, then leaving his child here in this environment,” she added.
“Surely he can spare a bit more to look after his son?”
The Sun has approached Courtois for comment.
Maradona
Given his reputation, it’s probably not surprising to see Maradona on this list.
The late Argentinian superstar allegedly bedded 8,000 women just while in Italy, according to his driver.
Unsurprisingly, it’s led to plenty of speculation over secret children – leading one “son” to make a very bold demand.
After claiming on live TV, aged just 18, that he was Maradona’s illegitimate son, Santiago Lara instructed lawyers to request the star’s body be dug up for DNA tests just hours after his burial in 2020.
His mother, Natalia Garat, died from cancer at just 23, back in 2006, after allegedly enjoying a seven-year on-off relationship with the footballer.
Days before her death, when she had to remove her ventilator to speak, she told a group of lawyers I was Diego’s son
Santiago Lara
But just before her death, Santiago claimed she made a stunning admission.
Speaking on the programme Suelta la Sopa, Santiago said: “My mum sadly died when I was just three years old but days before her death, when she had to remove her ventilator to speak, she told a group of lawyers I was Diego’s son.”
Santiago had for years fought for a DNA test but had little luck getting past the star’s lawyers.
Maradona is also rumoured to have fathered three children in Cuba, and also a now-29-year-old woman called Magali Gil.
That’s on top of other children it took him years to recognise as his own.
But while Santiago hasn’t had any more luck with his claim, it’s hard to deny that he doesn’t look all that dissimilar to the star in his younger years.
Pele
Like Maradona, Brazilian legend Pele has faced demands his body be exhumed for paternity tests – with one claim coming two years after his death.
Five years on from first launching a paternity lawsuit, Maria Do Socorro Azevedo, 61, claimed on Brazilian TV that she was his daughter, alleging that her mother had a fling with the forward but never told him it had left her pregnant.
Maria, who works as a maid, insisted that she wasn’t interested in his money, and wasn’t after a share of the 60% of his estate that was left to his children when he passed away back in 2022 – when he left a total net worth of around £78million.
Back in 2023 it was reported the star left £13million to another secret daughter after originally denying he was her father.
But unfortunately for the 60-year-old, a DNA test conducted back in 2019 came back negative.
Nonetheless, it was claimed by her lawyer that they now had “no option” but to request his body be exhumed to find out the truth once and for all.
Unsurprisingly, lawyers acting for the footballer’s family were quick to slap down the request, citing the fact that DNA tests had already shown she was not his daughter.
Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker has had two children with his former mistress Lauryn Goodman – on top of the four he already has with his now-estranged wife Annie Kilner.
This understandably left the defender in hot water with Annie, who only ended up believing Lauryn’s claim that she’d had another kid with Walker after speaking with her neighbour, Jasmine David.
“I showed her a photo of the baby and straight away she said: ‘Oh God no’,” Jasmine told the MailOnline.
“She knew it was Kyle’s as the baby had his nose. She’s the spitting image of him,” she added.
Kyle also found himself caught up in a serious spat with Lauryn after she demanded a £70,000 brand new Mercedes every three years, and also a £30,000 car for the nanny – even though the nanny can’t drive.
The England star originally fathered a son, Kairo, with reality star Lauryn while he was on a break with Kilner.
David Ginola
Footie legend Ginola met his love child for the first time in 28 years – only to abandon her all over again after their meeting in 2023.
Joy Pinquier enjoyed the emotional reunion in her home town of Marseille, during which the French international admitted to being her dad and telling her “Yes, you are a real Ginola”.
Joy told The Sun: “He took me in his arms and embraced me and it was a very special moment.
“I had tears in my eyes because it was the hug I had always dreamed of having with my dad.”
It’s a horrible thing to say, but I feel like I have been abandoned a second time
Joy Pinquier
Tragically, however, Joy revealed she hasn’t heard from him since.
“He kept saying we would go to a restaurant to get to know each other better but, 18 months later, I still haven’t seen him,” she said.
“I sent a text to let him know I was there and, as I walked over, I saw he had a big smile on his face. Now I realise that he never had any interest in being my father, he was just being polite.
“It’s a horrible thing to say, but I feel like I have been abandoned a second time.”
Joy’s mum, Joelle Pinquier, was working as a secretary in Paris near to where Ginola was playing for a local club.
“I am not interested in his money and I never wanted to attack him publicly. I always felt it my responsibility to defend his reputation,” Joy added.
“But it’s got to a point where I feel a terrible anger and resentment towards my dad.”
Neymar
In August last year, a former Hungarian model claimed that Neymar was the father of her 11-year-old daughter – and revealed she’d demanded a DNA test from the Brazilian star to find out once and for all.
Gabriella Gaspar says she had an affair with the footballer when he was on international duty in Bolivia all the way back in 2013, leaving her with daughter Jazmin Zoe.
Gaspar, 30, is now taking legal action to make Neymar take a DNA test. If paternity is confirmed, the ex-model has demanded £25,685 a month from the star, as well as ten year’s worth of back-dated payments.
According to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Gaspar – who works as a store clerk – has apparently been trying to get in touch with the star since 2022.
“A paternity investigation process is being conducted in secret and there is an impediment to providing any information,” a representative for the footballer told the outlet.
Just what the result of this investigation will be remains unknown – but you can bet he won’t be keen to make those backdated payments.
