Luca Zidane, the son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane, has revealed that his grandfather fully supported his decision to switch international allegiance to Algeria, despite having represented France at youth level earlier in his career.
Zinedine Zidane is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in French football history, famously inspiring Les Bleus to their first FIFA World Cup triumph in 1998, where he scored twice in a memorable 3-0 final victory over Brazil in Paris. He followed that success by helping France to the UEFA Euro 2000 title, completing a historic World Cup–European Championship double.
Luca’s decision to represent Algeria came as a surprise to many, particularly given that he made the switch at the age of 27 and had previously featured for France in junior competitions. From an early stage, the goalkeeper chose a different path from his father by playing between the posts, in a bid to avoid constant comparisons.
The move has paid off, with Luca quickly establishing himself as Algeria’s first-choice goalkeeper. His father was in attendance as Algeria opened their Africa Cup of Nations Group E campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sudan under head coach Vladimir Petković.
Although he was largely untroubled, Luca produced a crucial save when the score was still 1-0, denying Yaser Awad from close range and preserving Algeria’s early control of the match.
Reflecting on his decision, Luca highlighted the emotional connection to his family roots.
“When I think of Algeria, I remember my grandfather. Since childhood, we’ve had this Algerian culture in the family,” he told BeIN Sports France.
“I spoke to him before playing for the national team, and he was extremely happy about this step. Every time I receive an international call-up, he calls me and says that I made a great decision and that he is proud of me.”
Luca also confirmed that his father fully respected and supported the move.
“He supported me,” Luca said. “He told me, ‘Be careful, this is your choice. I can give you advice, but in the end, the final decision will be yours.’ From the moment the coach and the federation president reached out to me, I knew I wanted to represent my country. My family were all happy for me.”
Zinedine Zidane, who also won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid in 2002 and claimed the Ballon d’Or in 1998, remains one of football’s most decorated figures despite France’s dramatic penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the 2006 World Cup final.
Luca, who currently plays for Granada in Spain after coming through the ranks at Real Madrid, has traditionally worn “Luca” on his club shirt. However, he revealed that his Algeria jersey will carry the Zidane name as a tribute to his heritage.
“For me, being able to honour my grandfather by joining the national team is very important,” he said. “The next jersey with the name on it will be for him.”
