Martin Offiah, the rugby league legend inducted into the sport's hall of fame and immortalised with a statue outside Wembley, has two sons forging professional careers in other sports. Offiah, who scored over 500 tries during his career with Wigan and Great Britain, saw his eldest son Tyler play rugby union for Bath in the Gallagher Premiership, while his younger son Phoenix is making an impact in Tottenham's academy as a footballer.
Phoenix Offiah's breakout season
Phoenix, a 16-year-old striker, has been tipped for an England youth call-up after a breakout campaign. He scored in Tottenham's 5-3 U16s Premier League Cup final win over Fulham last year and netted four goals in a 4-1 win over Wolves this month. He also struck a brace against Reading last weekend and has already trained with Roberto De Zerbi's first-team squad.
“Phoenix wasn’t really on anyone’s radar at the start of last season — but he certainly is now,” his dad told the Sun. “He scored four in a 6-0 win over West Ham last September and never looked back since. He did well in big games, scoring and creating goals against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa. It was a fantastic first full season in the Spurs academy and he went full-time this summer on a two-year scholarship. Phoenix recently got his first wage packet, so he’s living his best life.”
Academy success and family legacy
Phoenix joined Tottenham's academy in January 2025 after a spell at QPR and ended last season with 26 goals and four assists. “He’s well respected in the squad and has come a long way in his first season-and-a-half at the club,” added Offiah. “Tottenham’s first team survived relegation last season but you always need a thriving academy to produce players. Wigan Athletic have already said that Phoenix can go on loan there and get some first-team experience in League One. That would be a great story after my exploits for Wigan Warriors!”
His elder brother Tyler has already made his Premiership debut for Bath and played for England U20s at this summer's Junior World Championship. “Tyler’s around 6ft 4in but Phoenix is still growing and there aren’t many strikers in Premier League academies with his physical attributes,” said Offiah. “He’s quicker than most and has a huge leap on him, but significantly his physicality is matched by his technical ability. Phoenix and Tyler have both been practising their rugby or football skills from a very early age. It was something I’d have them doing before school every day.”
Next generation of Offiahs
Offiah's nephew Odel, son of his brother Chike, plays for Preston in the Championship after previously playing in the Premier League with Brighton and in the Scottish Premiership for Hearts. “Odel is already aware of Phoenix exploits in Spurs’ academy because he’s been training with the first team,” said Offiah. “It’s just fantastic to see the next generation of Offiahs making their way in professional sport and hopefully they can go on to enjoy careers at the highest level, just like I did. I’m immortalised in a statue outside Wembley Stadium and Odel is a professional footballer, so Phoenix is not short of inspiration. It’s now about how hard he’s prepared to work and how much he wants it — but it’s definitely exciting times ahead.”
