5 days ago
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Reigan and Jaden Heskey made their Manchester City debuts on the same night. The brothers talk the Manchester Evening News through their time at the club, advice from dad Emile and their competitive relationship.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, will always be a red-letter day for the Heskey family. How many siblings make their competitive debuts on the same day, never mind for a club with the pedigree of Manchester City?
That is what happened for 19-year-old Jaden and 17-year-old Reigan at the Accu Stadium in Huddersfield. Both came on as substitutes as City strolled to a Carabao Cup victory, and if the game might only be a footnote in the Blues' season, it will always be meaningful for the Heskeys.
It was a family occasion. Mum Chantelle was in the away end, as were Jaden and Reigan's two younger sisters, Milanna and Mendez, and their nan and grandad, himself a handy Sunday League footballer in his day who still looks to dish out the odd bit of advice to his talented teenage grandsons.
But in amongst it all, there was one person missing. Jaden and Reigan were following in the footsteps of dad Emile, a former England international and long-serving Premier League striker. Emile doesn't miss many of their games at academy level, but had to watch his children make their professional debuts while 37,000 feet in the air.
"Our dad couldn't make it, he was on a plane on the way down to Australia," Jaden tells the Manchester Evening News, sitting next to his younger brother in a side room in the academy building at City's training ground.
"I think if we had an idea that we were going to be involved before, he probably wouldn't have been going, but because we found out the day before, he wasn't there.
"I think he could watch it on the plane, because it was such a long flight, I think he said he was watching."
Emile caught up with his sons when he landed Down Under, sending on his own message of congratulations on a special night.
Jaden was first to come on, replacing Nico O'Reilly with 14 minutes to go. Reigan found the time to have a quick word with his older sibling before making his debut.
"It was just like a short moment before he came on, I think," said Reigan. "He was just too focused on getting onto the pitch, but it was just like good luck. Just encouraging him."
Seven minutes later, Reigan followed him on as part of a double change. "I didn't see him getting ready," said Jaden. "I literally saw him when the board came up and it was him just standing there. I didn't know he was coming on until I saw him.
"I was just buzzing, buzzing, I think I went over to try giving him a high five before he came on."
More nerve-wracking than the football was the demand to say a few words to their illustrious teammates in the cramped away dressing room after the game. Pep Guardiola told the Heskey brothers and fellow debutant Divine Mukasa that they had to follow tradition.
"After the game, we had to do a speech in front of the team, separately," said Jaden. "So we just had a little speech, but he [Guardiola] just congratulated us, and obviously Divine as well.
"I was nervous but Divine went first, and I pretty much just copied what you said to be honest. I didn't have to do too much."
It was a significant milestone on the journey for both players. The pair took part in the club's free junior sessions before signing for the academy at Under-9s level. Reigan would tag along with Jaden to those initial sessions and quickly showed he was a natural with the ball at his feet.
Jaden is a midfielder who describes himself as "energetic" and a technical player who likes to get up and down the pitch as a number eight. Reigan is a winger who said his strengths are dribbling and shooting.
So they are different players from dad, who was an old-school Premier League striker. He is also hands-off as a footballing parent, offering encouragement to his sons rather than any specific advice.
"To be fair, he doesn't really try and get involved too much with the technical stuff and tactical, all that sort of stuff, he just lets our coaches take over because they know what they're doing," said Jaden.
"But if he sees anything more mentally, he might just say something, just encourage us if something's not going well.
"He's obviously been through it all but he doesn't really try to get involved too much, he's not that type of parent. I guess he just wants to be kind of a supportive parent.
"My mum's dad played football as well, our grandad. He was a striker as well, a big striker. He always tells us to work on our heading because that was his game. He's six foot three or six foot four."
Reigan was too young to remember his dad's playing days, but Jaden says he has memories of Emile at Aston Villa, Bolton and Newcastle Jets in Australia.
Now 47, he doesn't tell his children too many stories from his playing days and resists the temptation to get his goals on YouTube, but Jaden can still remember when he first realised his dad had actually been a seriously good footballer.
"He sometimes comes on the TV, like the 100 Club or something, he's on that. That's when I first noticed his game," he said.
The pair still live at home in Cheshire with their parents and little sisters. Jaden can drive and acts as a chauffeur to Reigan, although when the younger brother has an earlier start, he is told to get an Uber. Reigan is now learning to drive himself, and this interview is pushed back from mid-morning to late afternoon to accommodate a lesson.
As is always the case with siblings, there will be competition to see who passes their test quickest, although they insist they aren't as competitive as they were growing up.
"We were competitive playing in the garden and playing FIFA, and a few Uno games used to get competitive as well," said Jaden.
Now they are supportive siblings, as their pride in each other's debuts earlier this season showed. There is a chance they could get another first-team opportunity against Swansea City this week and the presence of Rico Lewis, Nico O'Reilly and Phil Foden in the first team is an inspiration for those in the academy.
But whatever comes next, they will also have that historic night in Huddersfield, when two dreams came true on the same night.
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