Luca Zidane, son of France legend Zinedine Zidane, is currently featuring in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations for Algeria. The goalkeeper has now opened up about the reason behind his decision to switch nationalities and represent Algeria.
Speaking to beIN Sports France, Algeria’s first-choice keeper said: “When I think of Algeria, I remember my grandfather. Since childhood, we’ve had this Algerian culture in the family.”
“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,” he added.
Algeria kicked off their AFCON campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Sudan, where Luca was barely tested and faced little threat in goal. However, he revealed earlier that he chose to become a goalkeeper partly to avoid constant comparisons with his father — the 1998 FIFA World Cup winner and Euro 2000 champion for France, widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in football history.
Luca also shared how his father supported his decision to represent Algeria. Zinedine Zidane was present in the stands to watch his son in action against Sudan.
“He supported me,” Luca said. “He said to 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, it was clear that I wanted to go and represent my country. After that, I naturally spoke with my family, and they were all happy for me.”
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