In football, it is rare enough that siblings make it to the highest level. That said, it does happen from time to time. In fact, 51 pairs of brothers have played in the Premier League, with Gary and Phil Neville leading the way with over 900 combined appearances.
Evidently, family members making it in sport happens from time to time – don't forget the Williams sisters in tennis. But it is essentially unheard of the four siblings could go on to become big-name athletes.
However, with three kids in the Manchester United academy, and another making a name for himself in MMA, the Ibragimov family are certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Ibrahim Ibragimov
MMA fighter
At 20 years of age, Ibrahim Ibragimov is the oldest of the four brothers who all hail from Russia but are now eligible to represent England in their chosen sports. And his passion seems to be away from football as he is instead an MMA fighter – although did have trials at Manchester City as a kid.
Ibrahim, also known as 'The Mauler' appears to be pretty talented too. Indeed, he is undefeated in his career so far winning all of his nine fights. Despite his tender age, Ibragimov has already made a significant impact in the MMA world, finishing 6 of his wins by knockout or submission. On his success, he said:
"Obviously, having an undefeated record is good. I love winning and I hate losing! That's why I'm undefeated."
Amir Ibragimov
Manchester United
At 16 years of age, Amir is the second oldest of the four brothers. He started his career in the academy of Sheffield United before joining the Red Devils. He has captained Man Utd at under-14 and under-15 sides.
He actually made headlines for his sportsmanship playing for the U15s against Tottenham in March 2022. He won a penalty but felt there was no foul so simply rolled the ball back to the opposition goalkeeper from 12 yards. While yet to play competitively for the senior team, he did start as a left winger for the first team in a behind-closed-doors 3-1 friendly loss against Burnley in January 2024.
There is already an awful lot of hype about Amir. Raducio King, the coach who recruited Ibragimov for Manchester United, only added to the excitement when he noted in the Manchester Evening News (via Marca) that the young Russian talent reminds him of Wayne Rooney.
"I haven't seen many who can run like him. I could see him playing as a number 10, in a Wayne Rooney role".
Gazik Ibragimov
Manchester United
Gazik is a few years younger, either 12 or 13, and also plays in the Manchester United academy. He even played with Cristiano Ronaldo Jr in the club academy before his father left for Saudi Arabia. Older brother Ibrahim said of his siblings at Old Trafford:
'My two little brothers as well play for Man United so they'll make it too. I believe in them."
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Muhammad Ibragimov
Manchester United
Youngest brother Muhammad Ibragimov actually started out in the Manchester City academy but joined his siblings in 2023 after winning a youth tournament with the Cityzens. He looks to be just as big a prospect.
It looks as though he could follow in his older brother's footsteps and turn to MMA instead if football doesn't work out though. Indeed, he went viral for losing his temper and performing a suplex on his opponent during a U11 game for Man City in 2023.
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