Luca Zidane: ‘My father supports me’

Unlike his father, the famous Zinedine Zidane, Luca is nowhere near that kind of quality. But that’s quite normal actually, as many sons of famous footballers don’t achieve those heights as their fathers. Still, Luca Zidane is a young and quality keeper but he decided after playing for France at youth level that he should change alliances and moved to Algeria. He probably realized that the level of competition at his position in the French team was too big, but he also embraced his Algerian heritage, and claims that both his father and especially his grandfather are happy for him.

Back to African roots: Zidane's son set to debut for Algeria

Les Fennecs came to Morocco with a really strong squad and are playing their first match today against Sudan. It seems that this will be a chance for Zidane, who is expected to start the match after only one international cap for Algeria.

"Like any father, he was behind me. He told me: 'It's your choice. I can give you advice, but ultimately, the decision is yours to make’. When I think of Algeria, I immediately think of my grandfather. Since I was little, we've had an Algerian culture in our family. I talked to him about it before joining the national team, and he was ecstatic. Every time I go to the national team, he calls me and tells me I made a good decision. He's proud of me. Being able to make my grandfather proud by going to the national team is very important. The next jersey will be for him” he said to Granada national television.

But local media in Algeria are not so sure as the young keeper. Some of them are still questioning his abilities, especially since he played so little for the Fennecs. Some are praising his footwork but are not so sure about his handling, some are questioning the strength of his club Granada, while some believe he is capable of handling the pressure. After all, one of them concluded: "The real test will be here in Morocco. I hope he lives up to expectations”.