Indeed, we have seen the fruits of brotherly cooperation at the club this season: Joe Whitworth made his senior Crystal Palace debut in the Premier League against Brighton and Arsenal, while younger brother Harry was part of the Under-15s side to lift the Floodlit Cup.
On Sunday, however, the spirit was more adversarial. Jordan Ayew was adorned in red and blue (as always – he featured in every game in the Premier League this season), but his brother Andre came on for the final moments as his opponent.
“There has always been competition because no one wants to lose,” Jordan Ayew told the Palace matchday programme earlier this year. “But we are all proud of each other and each other’s successes. We want to keep it going.
“I went to France at the age of 14 and joined the Academy at Marseille. I went to France for my holidays with my auntie and my brother, because [André] was supposed to do a trial at Marseille. I was not planning to stay there. Then my godfather, Pape Diouf, said: ‘Come in and train during the holiday’. That’s where it all started.
“I speak to my brother… maybe seven or eight times per week. Every time I play with my brother there is happiness, because we fulfilled our dreams.”