Another Zidane in a WC semifinal – this one against Morocco

At 23:00, France’s U20 team will face a fierce battle in the semifinals of the World Cup for national teams under 20. Their opponent will be Morocco — a great opportunity to see some exciting young players in action.

France has played very confidently so far in the tournament, which is being held in Chile. In the group stage, they defeated South Africa 2–1 and New Caledonia 6–0, but lost to the USA 3–0. In the quarterfinals, Bernard Diomede’s side eliminated Japan 1–0 after extra time, before beating Norway 2–1 in the semifinals.

This tournament is certainly a chance to see major young talents — potential future stars of world football — all in one place. One of the key figures for France has been center-back Elyaz Zidane, the youngest of legendary Zinedine Zidane’s four sons.

Born on December 26, 2005, in Marseille, Elyaz played a crucial role in helping France reach the final four. Of all the players, the youngest Zidane has had the most minutes in the tournament — 435 in total — and big things are expected from him.

He began his career, like his brothers, in Real Madrid’s youth system, and since the summer of 2024, he has been part of Real Betis’ reserve team. Although he has yet to make his debut for the senior side coached by Manuel Pellegrini, he has already caught the attention of several scouts — particularly from Barcelona — due to his ability to carry the ball into the opposition half.

“I think we’ve been a bit harsh in France toward Elyaz Zidane, as well as toward Lisandro Olmeta, Pascal Olmeta’s son. It’s not easy being the child of football stars. We expect a lot from them — maybe too much. Wherever he goes, people notice the surname first. So I thought, wouldn’t it be better if he just had his first name on the shirt? But no — Elyaz chose to keep his surname, and he should be proud of that,” said coach Bernard Diomede.

Elyaz possesses an excellent left foot, something the coach — himself a member of France’s 1998 World Cup-winning team — has praised. Interestingly, that squad also included current France senior coach Didier Deschamps, as well as Zinedine Zidane himself, who is increasingly rumored to be a potential successor to Deschamps.

France will aim to replicate their 2013 success at this tournament, when the generation led by Paul Pogba claimed the world title — their only U20 World Cup triumph since the competition began in 1977. However, Diomede insists his team are not the favorites in the clash against Morocco, assigning that role to their opponents.