Athletic excellence seems to run in the Cork family genes – but ageing with grace perhaps does not.
Or at least many fans are convinced not in the case of Burnley midfielder Jack's famous dad, Alan, who enjoyed his own football career spanning almost 20 years. And the internet didn't hold back when comparing a particular photo of Cork Sr from his playing days with his son today.
Clarets veteran Jack – who is contracted at Turf Moor until the end of this season – turned 34 in June and continues to display some enviable youthful features. Alan was the same age when he helped take Sheffield United to the FA Cup semi-finals towards the end of his career – but he perhaps didn't look as good doing it.
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Irish journalist Denis Hurley couldn't get over the fact the father-and-son pairing were the same age in their respective pictures. And it turns out he was far from alone as the masses piled in to profess their agreement.
But the best comments of all belonged to Alan himself, who hopped on X (formerly Twitter) to say he 'thought he was looking good'. And as it turned out, all was perhaps not as it seemed with his balding head and full beard combo.
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"Wow… always remember him with the beard," wrote one social media user. "Very unusual in them days, looked in his 40s." Another spectator refused to believe the comparison and wrote: "No way on God’s earth can that be true."
It's now understood Alan was keeping the greying beard as part of a promise to himself; he would only shave the facial fur after the Blades were knocked out of that season's FA Cup. As fate would have it, they were ousted by bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday following an extra-time defeat in a Wembley edition of the Steel City derby.
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Still, that can't account for the gleaming dome up top, which was already looking fairly empty. At least when compared with Cork's full cap of today, with the midfielder still able to pass for a player in his prime.
The one-time England international has been a bit-part player under Vincent Kompany this season and played only 16 minutes in the Premier League. However, that won't taint his legacy at Turf Moor as Cork looks set to go down as a modern-day icon and loyal servant to the club.
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