Zinedine Zidane's son Luca has been called up to the World Cup for the first time by Algeria, just over a month after breaking his jaw and chin. The Granada goalkeeper, 28, required surgery after a collision with Almeria forward Thalys in a Spanish second-division game.
Despite the injury, the thrill-seeking 28-year-old — who was born shortly before his father won the 1998 World Cup with France — has made a good recovery and is hoping to represent Algeria. Luca is eligible for them through his paternal grandparents and has six caps since breaking into the national team last year.
He began his career with Real Madrid's B team but never broke into the senior squad and has since played for Racing Santander, Rayo Vallecano, Eibar, and Granada. Away from the field, he appears to be a keen adventurer, swimming in caves, speedboating, paddleboarding in the sea, taking trips to the desert, and hiking up mountains.
All of Zidane's four sons have become footballers — Theo plays for Cordoba, Elyaz plays for Real Betis' reserve team, and Enzo retired in 2024. Zidane was born to Algerian Berber parents Smail and Malika and feels a strong connection with those roots, though he represented France. Luca's decision to play for the North African nation is pleasing to his family.
'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.'
He added that his father was backing him. '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. So for me, being able to honour my grandfather by joining the national team is very important. The next jersey with the name on it will be for him.'
When Zidane won the World Cup in 1998, he also went on to win the Ballon d'Or that year. It would take some doing for Luca to emulate that, but Algeria will hope to progress from a group containing Argentina, Austria, and Jordan. He shares a squad with the likes of Riyad Mahrez, who now plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, and former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, who is at Lille.
