Luca Zidane Set for World Cup Run as French Goalkeeper Chooses Algeria

Luca Zidane, the French goalkeeper for Granada, is set to play in a World Cup for Algeria after choosing last autumn to represent his father’s homeland. The 28-year-old made his international debut in October and has already moved through Algeria’s Africa Cup of Nations run to the next stage of his career.

Luca Zidane and Algeria

Zidane said the choice came from home as much as from football. “We’ve lived in an Algerian culture since we were small,” he said, adding, “It’s an honour to play for Algeria.” He also said, “The final decision was mine, but I spoke with my family, my parents, my brothers, my grandfather.”

That background runs through a career shaped in Spain. Zidane was born in France, has lived most of his life in Spain and is the only member of his family to play in goal, while his paternal grandparents were born in Algeria. The family home has been in Madrid since 2001, the same year Zinedine Zidane signed for Real Madrid from Juventus.

Real Madrid Roots

Luca Zidane and his three brothers, Enzo, Theo and Elyaz, followed their father into football almost as soon as they could walk. They trained at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas academy when they were very small, played two-against-two in the garden at home and, by 2015-16, he was first choice for Real Madrid’s under-18 team as it reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League.

He later trained with Real Madrid’s senior side alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema. In 2016-17, he played eight games for Real Madrid Castilla in Spain’s third tier alongside Enzo, before moving on to Granada in Spain’s second division.

Kansas City Test

Algeria’s immediate test comes against Argentina in Kansas City on Tuesday, where Zidane is expected to be the last line of defence against Lionel Messi and the defending World Cup champions. He was blunt about the challenge: “Messi is one of the greatest players in history,” he said, but added, “But Algeria is a big football nation.”

He also pointed to Algeria’s threat going forward. “We can surprise people,” he said, before adding, “And we have our own threats: (Riyad) Mahrez is a great player too.”

The World Cup stage arrives after a quick rise with Algeria. Zidane made his debut in October and then played at the Africa Cup of Nations, where Algeria lost to Nigeria in the quarter-finals on January 10. For a player who spent years in Real Madrid’s system and built his career in Spain, the move now places him at the center of Algeria’s biggest match of the tournament.

He put the family side of the decision simply: “My father was happy, he knew it was something I wanted to do.”