‘My Dad Scored Over 100 Premier League Goals, Now I’m Close to Becoming Man City Star’

‘My Dad Scored Over 100 Premier League Goals, Now I’m Close to Becoming Man City Star’

When the curtain fell on England’s so-called ‘Golden Generation,’ Emile Heskey’s name wasn’t always in bold print. In a team packed with household names, he quickly became one of the most disrespected footballers of all time. Yet, while he never hogged the headlines, the former Leicester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa forward had a habit of proving his worth when the chips were down.

With 110 goals in 510 Premier League appearances, Heskey carved out a career that many strikers could only dream of. His name still sits 27th on the competition’s all-time scoring charts – a testament to a player who, despite his critics, always did the dirty work with quiet resilience. But his story may not be finished just yet. Thirty years after his own breakthrough as a 17-year-old, the Heskey legacy is gearing up for a second act.

Born in 2008, Reigan Heskey has made waves at Manchester City’s esteemed academy, looking every bit a chip off the old block. At just 17, he is now ready make an impact on the first-team. Could the Heskey name make a comeback?

Emile Heskey’s Son Plays For Manchester City’s Academy

In November 2023, a then-15-year-old Reigan Heskey stepped onto the pitch for Manchester City Under-19s in the UEFA Youth League, lining up alongside his brother, Jaden, against Young Boys Under-19s. Not content with just making an appearance, he marked the occasion in style, finding the back of the net in a 3-0 victory.

Fast-forward a year, and his rise has been nothing short of meteoric. Promoted to the Under-19 squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, Heskey wasted no time in making an impact. On his Premier League 2 debut, he announced himself in fine fashion, notching a hat-trick in just 22 minutes after coming on as a substitute against Norwich City U21.

Now 17, and with 27 goals in 41 appearances last season, he is quickly proving that he has what it takes to follow in his father’s footsteps. Watch his best moments this season below:

Reigan Heskey’s Future is Bright

Just last year, the teenage goalscoring machine’s coach went on record to rave about his chances as a top player for the future. Ben Wilkinson said, as per GOAL:

“He’s got an unbelievable chance to be a top player. He has a lot of attributes you’d look for in someone of his position. To come on in an EDS [Elite Development Squad] game as a 16-year-old and score a hat-trick isn’t something you see very often.”

He continued: “Our job is to steer him in the right direction over the next couple of years and not let him get too high in these moments. I’m sure he’ll have some bumps as well. We’ll make sure he doesn’t get too low in that point and just try to keep him on track.”

Speaking to talkSPORT around the same time, Emile Heskey said (see his full interview below): “The younger one [Reigan] came on at half-time, and he scored a hat-trick, I think it was his third appearance in the Premier League 2, so it was great.

“He’s probably a little trickier than me, probably not as quick as me, he’d argue [against that]. They’re both doing fantastic, both different players and the younger one is doing great right now, and he’s having his time.

He added: “I love watching them. From a young age I always said I would just be the dad, I would not dictate what they’re doing. I’ve been lucky in a sense that they’re at arguably one of, if not the best, academy to be at for development so you just leave them and let them enjoy that journey.”

Heskey Jr. has also made his mark in England’s youth ranks, featuring six times for the Young Lions during his Under-17 days. During this stint, he found the back of the net once, scoring against Germany.

Reigan and Jaden Heskey Make First-Team Debuts

On September 24, 2025, Pep Guardiola made it a dream night for the Heskey family by sending on both Jaden and Reigan as second-half substitutes during Man City’s 2-0 win over Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup. Jaden replaced Nico O’Reilly in the 76th minute, while Reigan replaced Savinho shortly afterwards.

Though they may still be a long way away from dislodging the likes of Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush from their comfortable starting spots in Guardiola’s trophy-winning machine, there’s every hope that the Heskey family can get a second bite of the cherry through Reigan and Jaden.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (correct as of 25/09/2025).