Emile Heskey’s name wasn’t always prominently displayed as the curtain came down on England’s alleged “Golden Generation.” He swiftly rose to become one of the most despised football players of all time in a team full of well-known players. The former forward for Leicester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa, however, had a way of showing himself when the chips were down, even though he never made the news.
Heskey established a career that many strikers could only imagine with 110 goals in 510 Premier League games. In spite of his detractors, he consistently performed the grunt labour with quiet tenacity, as evidenced by the fact that his name is still 27th on the competition’s all-time score charts. However, his tale might not be over yet. The Heskey legacy is preparing for a second act, thirty years after his own breakthrough at the age of 17.
Reigan Heskey, born in 2008, is causing a stir at Manchester City’s prestigious academy and appears to be a direct descendant of his father. He is now trying to contribute to the first team at the age of 17. Is it possible that the Heskey name will return?
Emile Heskey’s Son Plays For Manchester City’s Academy
The 17-year-old could be the next big thing in a talented bloodline
Reigan Heskey, then 15 years old, lined up with his brother Jaden for Manchester City Under-19s in the UEFA Youth League match against Young Boys Under-19s in November 2023. He wasn’t satisfied with merely showing up; he scored in a 3-0 triumph to honour the occasion in style.
After a year, his ascent has been nothing short of spectacular. Prior to the 2024–2025 season, Heskey was promoted to the Under-19 team and quickly made an impression. In just 22 minutes after substituting against Norwich City U21, he scored a hat-trick to make a spectacular debut in Premier League 2.
At the age of 17, he has already demonstrated that he has what it takes to carry on his father’s legacy with 24 goals in 31 games this season. See his highlights from this season below:
A star in the making! 💫
Let's take a look at some of Reigan Heskey's best moments so far this season 🤩 pic.twitter.com/gOJoptV0VD
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 26, 2025
Statistics for Reigan Heskey in 2024–2025
Rivalry
Matches
Objectives
Helps
Premier League for U18
15.
15.
5.
The UEFA Youth League
8.
3.
0
FA Youth Cup
4.
2.
One
Premier League 2
3.
3.
One
The EFL Trophy
One
One
0
The Future of Reigan Heskey Is Bright
Additionally, he has played for England’s youth team.
Only a year ago, the coach of the teenage goal-scoring machine publicly gushed about his potential as a top player in the future. In accordance with GOAL, Ben Wilkinson stated:
“He has a fantastic opportunity to become a top player. He possesses many qualities that one would expect from someone in his position. It’s not common to see a 16-year-old enter an EDS [Elite Development Squad] game and score a hat-trick.”
“It is our responsibility to guide him in the proper path over the next few years and prevent him from becoming overly inebriated during these periods,” he added. He will undoubtedly have some bumps as well. We’ll try to keep him on course and make sure he doesn’t fall too far off it.”
“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,” Emile Heskey remarked in an interview with talkSPORT at about the same time (see his complete interview below).
“He would probably argue [against] that he’s a little trickier than me and probably not as quick as me.” Both of them are playing really well; they are different players, and the younger one is enjoying himself at the moment.
“I love watching them,” he continued. I always stated as a child that I would just be their father and not tell them what to do. I’ve been fortunate in that they attend what is likely one of the top academies for development, if not the best, so you can simply let them enjoy the ride.
Heskey Jr. has also established himself in England’s junior system, making six appearances for the Young Lions while only an Under-17. He once scored a goal against Germany during this time.
Reigan and Jaden provide the Heskey family a second chance at winning the trophy, but he may still be a long way from unseating players like Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush from their accustomed starting positions in Pep Guardiola’s trophy-winning machine.
xz
