Phil Collins all smiles with footballer son in rare public appearance after ongoing health issues

There were ‘two big wins’ over the weekend for Phil Collins and his son Mathew (Picture: Instagram)

Phil Collins has been spotted in a loving family photo with his 20-year-old football star son while facing ongoing health issues.

The legendary Genesis songwriter and drummer, 74, retired from music some time ago after battling severe nerve damage and deteriorating mobility.

He’s been unable to play his drums since 2019 and called time on his music career in 2022, instead choosing to prioritise his health and time with his family.

And part of that precious family time has involved the In the Air Tonight singer going to watch his footballer son Mathew in a game over the weekend.

Mathew, 20, who Phil shares with ex-wife Orianne Cevey, plays for WSG Tirol II, which is the youth academy team of Austrian club WSG Tirol.

In a lovely photo, Mathew posed with dad Phil in the stands of the club’s stadium, with the younger Collins family member still dressed in his football kit.

Phil’s daughter Lily Collins was delighted to see her dad and brother together (Picture: Lily Collins/Instagram)

Dad Phil opted for a snuggly fleeced jacket and plain black trousers, and was all smiles as he proudly watched his son during WSG Tirol II’s 2-1 win over league rivals Fugen.

The caption read, ‘Two big wins today!’, with Mathew seeing Phil’s presence at the game as a big victory amid his superstar dad’s chronic health battle.

In the comments, Charlie McDowell -husband of Phil’s daughter Lily Collins and the son of actor Malcolm McDowell – said ‘Love this so much,’ sending love to his brother-in-law and father-in-law.

Phil and his son Mathew (second from left) have been football fans for some time (Picture: James Devaney/GC Images) Phil shares Mathew with ex-wife Orianne Cevey (Picture: Desiree Navarro/Getty)

Surrey-born Emily In Paris star Lily also commented, saying ‘I love everything about this,’ offering congratulations to Mathew on his big win.

Mathew’s brother Nicholas followed his father’s footsteps a little more closely by becoming a drummer, eventually playing for Genesis during some live shows.

However, Phil himself is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur and has been following football for some time – he has also made supportive comments about Mathew’s career in the past.

Several years ago, he said in a statement: ‘Matt loves music, but loves his football even more. He is certain he’ll turn professional.’

Mathew began his youth career playing for Astoria Walldorf’s under-19s team before joining Hanover 96, who currently play in the second division in Germany.

Lily sent her love and congratulations (Picture: Todd Williamson/Getty)

He signed a contract with WSG Tirol in 2023 and was moved into their academy set-up in order to develop his potential, with a view to one day playing to the first team.

Sunday’s game was attended by just 200 people – one of which was Phil – and saw WSG Tirol II stay in third place in their division as the season comes to a close.

WSG Tirol II currently play in the Regionalliga Tirol, which is the fourth tier of Austrian football.

Mathew has scored two goals for his team during this campaign, with his most recent coming in October 2024.

Speaking about Mathew’s dad, WSG Tirol II’s manager Manuel Ludwiger said: ‘We research the players we take on trial to find out about their past careers. It was only then that we found out Matthew is Phil Collins’ son.’

‘We haven’t signed him as a publicity stunt. It is purely down to his footballing ability.’

Why did Phil Collins retire from music? Phil retired from music after battling chronic health problems (Picture: Brian Rasic/WireImage)

After recovering from hearing loss during the early 2000s, Phil’s career got back on track, recording two further solo albums – Testify in 2002, and Going Back in 2010 – and a 2007 Genesis live album.

However, in 2009, Phil needed surgery on a neck problem that had been plaguing him for some time – sadly, he lost feeling in his fingers and could only play drums if the sticks were taped to his hands.

In 2014, he revealed that an undiagnosed nerve problem had been causing the issues and underwent further operations in 2015 – sadly the procedure still didn’t reverse his issues.

Shows in June 2017 were cancelled after Phil slipped over in a hotel room and badly injured himself, with the cause later revealed to be his foot drop, resulting from his 2015 operation.

At that point, he began to use a cane to walk and stayed seated during Genesis shows, eventually retiring from performing a few years later.

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