Luca Zidane, the 28-year-old son of Zinedine Zidane, is set to make his World Cup debut for Algeria on June 16, 2026, against Argentina, with his father expected to watch from the stands. The story of his career is framed against the 1998 World Cup, the tournament that made Zinedine Zidane a French icon, while Luca has spent years trying to establish his own name as a goalkeeper.
Luca’s early career included a painful public miss in a 2015 under-17 European Championship penalty shootout against Belgium, when he attempted a Panenka and hit the crossbar. He recovered by saving three straight penalties to send France into the final, but skepticism returned when he made his senior debut for Real Madrid in 2018 under his father’s coaching, prompting accusations of nepotism. He later moved through Spain with Racing Santander, Rayo Vallecano, Eibar and, most recently, Granada, insisting, “My father had his path and his career. I have my path and my career.”
In September 2025, FIFA approved his switch of sporting nationality, and he chose Algeria, the country of his grandparents, who came from a small village in Kabylia. At club level he had used “Luca” on his shirt to distance himself from his surname, but with Algeria he opted to wear “Zidane,” which he said was a tribute to his grandfather. He added that his grandfather was emotional about the decision and tells him after every call-up that he made a great choice and that he is proud of him.
Zinedine Zidane has backed his son fully and has attended games with the family in Africa. Luca’s Algeria debut was accelerated by a knee injury to first-choice keeper Alexandre Oukidja, and coach Vladimir Petkovic praised him after three clean sheets in his first three matches at the last Africa Cup of Nations, saying, “Luca gave us a real sense of security, and his footwork is excellent.” He later made a decisive save against Sudan in Rabat to help Algeria qualify for the World Cup, but since then his path has included Algeria’s quarterfinal exit to Nigeria, a two-match suspension after postgame unrest, and a jaw fracture suffered with Granada in late April. He recovered in time to face Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez and defending champion Argentina.
