Luca Zidane, son of French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, has revealed that his grandfather played a key role in his decision to switch international allegiance to Algeria, after representing France at youth level.

Zinedine Zidane, widely regarded as one of France’s greatest ever footballers, led Les Bleus to their first World Cup triumph in 1998, scoring twice in the 3-0 victory over Brazil in the final. He also helped France secure Euro 2000, completing a historic double.

Luca, who chose to play as a goalkeeper to carve out his own path away from his father’s shadow, made the surprising decision to represent Algeria at the age of 27. He quickly established himself as Algeria’s first-choice keeper, with Zinedine watching proudly as his son kept goal in Vladimir Petković’s 3-0 Group E Africa Cup of Nations win over Sudan on Wednesday.

Though not heavily tested, Luca made a crucial save from Yaser Awad when Algeria led 1-0.

“When I think of Algeria, I remember my grandfather. Since childhood, our family has embraced Algerian culture,” Luca told BeIN Sports France. “I spoke to him before playing for the national team, and he was thrilled. Every time I get a call-up, he congratulates me and says he’s proud of me.”

Family support pivotal
Luca also highlighted his father’s support. “He told me, ‘Be careful, this is your choice. I can give advice, but the final decision is yours,’” Luca said. “When the coach and federation president reached out, I knew I wanted to represent Algeria. I spoke with my family, and they were all happy for me.”

Zinedine Zidane, who famously was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy, has enjoyed a glittering career, including a Champions League triumph with Real Madrid in 2002 and the 1998 Ballon d’Or.

Luca, who currently plays for Granada in Spain after starting at Real Madrid, has always worn the name “Luca” on his shirt, but decided to honor his family heritage with his national team jersey.

“Being able to honor my grandfather by joining Algeria is very important,” he said. “The next jersey with the name on it will be for him.”