Eli Manning's 4 Children: Everything to Know

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Eli Manning is enjoying some quality family time post-retirement.

The football legend retired from the NFL in 2019 after 16 seasons with the New York Giants and two Super Bowl wins. In the years since hanging up his cleats, Manning has pursued new professional endeavors and spent more time with his wife, Abby McGrew, and their four children: Ava, 11, Lucy, 9, Caroline, 7, and Charlie, 4.

The couple, who tied the knot in April 2008, prefer to keep their family life private, however, Manning will post about his kids on social media on occasion. The father of four loves to celebrate his children's wins and milestones on Twitter — from their first day of hockey practice to their first golf lesson with their grandpa, Archie Manning.

Manning considers his family his "rock," and gave them a special shout-out during his retirement speech in January 2020.

"I don't think I need to make public comments for my family to know how I think about them," he said at the time, "but Abby, and to Ava and Lucy and Caroline and Charlie, you are my rock ... I look forward to a little downtime; I look forward to a little time with my family."

In January 2021, Manning shared a rare photo of the entire family. In the picture, the former quarterback smiles on the couch alongside his four kids, who are all donning matching Giants jerseys and helmets to cheer on their dad's old team on game day.

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The following year, Manning became a part-owner of Gotham Women's Soccer Club. In a video released by Gotham FC, Manning said his daughters — Ava, Lucy and Caroline — helped inspire his decision to invest in the club.

"As a dad, I want to make sure that my daughters have all the athletic opportunities that I was blessed with," he said. "We're driving what happens next in the world's game with some of the greatest athletes in the game, and I can't imagine what's more exciting than being a part of that."

Keep reading for everything there is to know about Eli Manning's children.

Ava Francis Manning, 11

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Manning and McGrew's first child, Ava Francis, was born on March 21, 2011.

About a year after her birth, Manning spoke to PEOPLE about fatherhood and said, "The greatest thing about being a dad is that you never realize you can love something immediately in your life." He added, "The first time that you see your daughter … every day, just wanting to be around her and telling her that you love her."

Manning's oldest child has loved football since she was little, and specifically watching her dad play for the Giants. "She's been to two Giants games, we won one, we lost one, but she enjoyed both of them," Manning said of then-7-month-old Ava in 2012. "She does have a little jersey, [but] it's not what she wore to the games — my wife gets her all dressed up ... She's always got a bow in her hair, and she's always dressed for the occasion."

Ava is now 11 years old and the tables have turned as Manning currently enjoys watching her cheerlead at football games, as he told PEOPLE in October 2022.

"I've actually gotten to go watch a couple sixth grade, seventh grade football games this year because she's cheering at them," the proud dad shared.

She and Manning enjoy plenty of other father-daughter bonding activities, including hiking.

Lucy Thomas Manning, 9

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The pair's second child, Lucy Thomas, was born on June 17, 2013.

In 2014, Manning spoke to PEOPLE about Lucy's first birthday. "[We're having] just a little party. Nothing too crazy," he shared. "We'll have a couple of her friends [over]. And a couple of Ava's friends and just have a little cake and sing 'Happy Birthday.' "

He also discussed his older daughter's relationship with her baby sister.

"At this point, she's waiting for Lucy to catch up and start running around. She's looking for a best friend," he explained. "She's real sweet to her. She still steals a few of her toys every once in a while. She gets her to laugh a lot and they play real well with each other."

These days, 9-year-old Lucy enjoys dressing up for Halloween with her family and going on daddy-daughter fishing trips. In October 2022, Manning shared a photo of the sixsome ahead of their trick-or-treating excursion. In the snap, Lucy and her sister Caroline are wearing adorable grandmother costumes.

Like her dad and siblings, she is also interested in sports. "My girls are playing a couple of them ... They're into swimming and lacrosse is big," Manning said of his daughters during an October 2022 interview with PEOPLE, adding that he "encourages" all of his kids to get involved in sports. "I think athletics are great tools for learning life lessons and hard work and dedication ... dealing with the ups and downs that happen throughout life."

Caroline Olivia Manning, 7

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Caroline Olivia, the Mannings' third child, was born on Jan. 29, 2015.

While she's still a big football fan along with the rest of her family, 7-year-old Caroline has taken interest in a different sport: hockey. She had her first day of hockey practice in September 2022 and her dad was there to mark the occasion, although he forgot to pack her helmet. "Dad forgot the helmet, so she is going old school," Manning wrote on Twitter. "Just joking, Mom is bringing it to her."

Caroline is very close with her two older sisters and Manning often posts pictures of the trio enjoying quality sister time. Together, the three girls have met Santa, joined their parents on a sightseeing tour of London and served as their dad's "tech team" for Monday Night Football.

Caroline also appears to have a close bond with her younger brother, Charlie. In January 2022, the brother-sister duo spent a snow day tubing together, as documented by Manning on Twitter.

Charles Elisha Manning, 4

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The youngest Manning child, Charles "Charlie" Elisha, was born on Super Bowl Sunday in 2018.

While he is only 4 years old, Charlie has already begun practicing football with Manning. "We're doing a little knee football, or I'm on my knees and he's, you know, running," the proud dad told PEOPLE in October 2022. "Trying to teach him ball security, those important things." He added that while he would love if Charlie played football when he is older, he would "never force it upon him."

In addition to football, Charlie has also taken up golf. Manning shared an adorable snap of his son spending time with his own father on the golf course in June 2022. "Charlie's first golf lesson with grandpa," Manning wrote on Twitter.

Similarly to his sisters, Charlie bonds with his dad through fishing. In September 2022, Manning shared a sweet picture from their first father-son trip and shared that Charlie was proud of catching "his first fish."