Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves has revealed his son is following in his footsteps.

Alves from the country's third largest city, Belo Horizonte, has been separated from his 10- year-old son Felipe Henrique since, as a 21-year-old, he left for little known Orgryte in Sweden in 2002.

Alves admits he is keeping one secret from Felipe, who lives with the striker's estranged girlfriend, and who, like his father, has been catching the eye of the coaches at Atletico Mineiro's Tupinambas Academy.

Alves has neglected to inform the youngster that his team boasts one of the most successful academies in the Barclays Premier League.

"I dare not tell him that Middlesbrough have such a good academy otherwise he would want to come over," he told the Daily Mail. "He is living in Brazil going to school, doing his studies and he is at a football academy where he is a very good centre forward. I am hoping he will be even better than me. We do keep in touch and it is better for him to be there and once he grows up he can come.

"It would be very hard for him if he came to live here because he would have to start everything from the beginning so he is in the best place for the moment."