Phil Collins beams in rare new photo with footballer son Mathew – see here
19 May 2025, 13:32
The 74-year-old former Genesis frontman seemingly retired from performing in 2022.
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Phil Collins was a proud father during a recent trip to see his youngest son this weekend.
Mathew, who is 20, plays for the Austrian team WSG Tirol, who are in the top tier of the Austrian football league.
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Taking to his Instagram on Sunday, the professional footballer posted a photo of him in his team’s green and white kit smiling next to his dad, who had come to watch in the stands.
“2 big wins today! 🥹❤️” Mathew captioned the photo of him with his dad.
Phil’s older children actress Lily and drummer Nic supported their sibling, with Lily resharing the photo with the caption “I love everything about this” and Nic commenting two red heart emojis on his younger brother’s post.
Mathew’s footballing career started in Germany, where he played for Hanover’s U19s.
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He has been playing with Austria's WSG Tirol since 2023, with the team’s coach admitting at the time of his signing that they had no idea about Mathew’s famous dad until after they’d won him for a trial period at the club.
“We Google the players we take on trial to find out about their past careers,” Manuel Ludwiger said in 2023.
Phil Collins does a duet with his son
“It was only then that we found out Mathew is Phil Collins' son. We haven't signed him as a publicity stunt. It is purely down to his footballing ability.”
It’s been a while since Phil was spotted in public, as the drummer has been keeping a lower profile since seemingly retiring from performing in 2022.
Although he was featured in a documentary about his drumming career earlier this year, this documentary had mostly been filmed a year or so ago.
Watch the trailer for Phil Collins - Drummer First
Speaking with MOJO magazine in February 2025, the ‘In The Air Tonight’ singer revealed he was no longer “hungry” to make new music after having been “very sick” in recent years.
In 2007, Phil suffered a spinal injury, and he has been recovering from this and further nerve damage fromlater surgery ever since.
While the musician hasn’t ruled out making more music or performing again in the future, he did tell Drumeo in their recent documentary: “I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles."
