Zinedine Zidane's Son Lays Claim to a World Cup Role for Algeria

Twenty years after Zinedine Zidane's infamous 2006 World Cup final in Berlin, his son Luca is set for his own World Cup moment. The 28-year-old goalkeeper will represent Algeria, and could face Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez and the rest of Argentina's world champions in the tournament opener against Algeria.

Luca Zidane was born in France, raised in Madrid and now plays for Granada in Spain's second division. He said the decision to switch to Algeria was his own, made after discussing it with his family. He explained, "We grew up inside Algerian culture since we were children," and added, "It is an honor to play for Algeria." He said his father was happy with the choice, and that the family discussed it with his parents, brothers and grandfather.

His Algerian roots come through his paternal grandparents, Smail and Malika Zidane, who left Algeria in the 1960s during the Algerian war of independence and settled in Marseille. Zidane said that in Marseille people eat Algerian food and speak the language, and that his grandfather passed Algerian values to his father, who passed them on to the children. He described those values as respect and hard work.

Until less than a year ago, he was still part of the French setup, having played for France's youth teams and won the 2015 Under-17 European Championship, where he saved three penalties in a semifinal against Belgium. FIFA approved his switch of sporting nationality in September 2025, and Algeria called him up almost immediately. He said, "When I think of Algeria, I think of my grandfather."

Zidane has had to live with the weight of his surname throughout his career. Former teammate Alberto Garcia said he never looked for excuses and was unusually humble and demanding of himself. He developed at Real Madrid's academy, trained alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, and made two first-team appearances under his father before moving on to Racing Santander, Rayo Vallecano, Eibar and then Granada. At 1.83 meters, he is shorter than many elite goalkeepers, but coaches praised his footwork, reflexes and one-on-one ability.

His World Cup place was also in doubt after he broke his jaw and chin in an April match against Almeria. He returned on 3 June wearing a fitted black protective mask, which has since become his trademark. He already kept clean sheets for Algeria against Uruguay and in a 1-0 friendly win over the Netherlands, where he was reportedly outstanding. Now he says the tournament is a chance to prove he belongs at the highest level, adding, "In the beginning people mostly see you as someone's son, but I always tried to make my own path."