Rock legend's footballer son signs for iconic German club

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FT Desk

Did you know that the son of legendary musician Phil Collins is actually a professional footballer?

Mathew Collins has joined German giants 1860 Munich for the 2026/27 season, having played the majority of his pro career so far in Austria.

Born in Switzerland, he chose a career in football rather than music, unlike his father and older brother Nicholas, who is a professional drummer. At just 14 years old, he was sent to a football boarding school in Evian, France.

Having developed through several youth academies in Germany, including Astoria Walldorf and Hannover 96, he moved to Austrian club WSG Tirol in 2023. He primarily played for WSG Tirol's reserve side but also featured in first-team pre-season matches, including a friendly against Bayern Munich. In 2025, he joined Austria Salzburg in the Austrian second division to continue his career.

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He's now been tasked with helping to revitalise a German giant, as 1860 Munich were forcibly relegated to the fourth-tier Regionalliga after failing to obtain a license to remain in the 3. Liga. The German Football Association refused to grant the club a licence because they could not provide proof that they had sufficient funds to cover a reported €2.7 million budget shortfall by the licensing deadline. Without that financial guarantee, the club was deemed not to have met the competition's licensing requirements.

1860 Munich blamed the situation on investor Hasan Ismaik, claiming a promised financing package was not delivered in time.

It's a sad state of affairs for a German capital club still considered one of the biggest in Germany.

Collins earned the contract with 1860 after impressing in training and in friendly matches.

"Mathew has made a very good impression on us," 1860 managing director Thomas Probst said.

"He integrated into the team very quickly and is an asset to us both on and off the pitch."

Despite being the son of one of Britain's most famous musicians, Mathew has largely stayed out of the spotlight and focused on his football career. He has occasionally shared photos with his father, including one in 2025 after a match that showed Phil supporting him from the stands.

"I was able to participate in the entire preseason with TSV 1860 Munich and have already experienced quite a bit here," Collins said after signing.

"Even at the start of training, I saw what great fans the club has, and playing in front of up to 3,000 fans in test matches was something very special. Now I'm looking forward to the first games at the Grünwalder Stadium and the atmosphere there."

1860 Munich started their league season this past weekend with a 2-2 draw versus Schweinfurt 05.