My grandfather encouraged me to play for Algeria, says Luca Zidane

PARIS – Luca Zidane, the son of French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, said that his grandfather had supported him in

switching international allegiance to Algeria

, after playing for France at junior level.

Zinedine Zidane is widely regarded as one of the greatest French footballers, inspiring his country to their first World Cup victory in 1998 and scoring two goals in the 3-0 win over Brazil in the final in Paris. The midfielder also guided them to the Euro 2000 trophy, achieving an unprecedented double for Les Bleus.

After retirement, the 53-year-old coached Real Madrid, where he played from 2001 to 2006 following his time at Juventus – at both clubs he was a vital player.

Luca’s decision to switch nationalities at age 27 came as a surprise, especially since he had already tried to step out of his father’s shadow early on by choosing to play as a goalkeeper.

He quickly became Algeria’s first-choice custodian, and his father watched him play against Sudan in Vladimir Petkovic’s side’s opening Africa Cup of Nations Group E match on Dec 24, which they won 3-0.

Luca was not tested much during the match, but he did make an important save from a dangerous chance that fell to Yaser Awad with the score at 1-0.

“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 also said his father had backed his decision.

“He supported me,” Luca added. “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.”

Zinedine Zidane, who was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final in Germany, which they lost to Italy on penalties, won the Champions League in 2002 with Real and claimed the Ballon d’Or award in 1998.

His son, who plays in Spain for Granada after starting his career at Real, has always worn a shirt bearing the name Luca, but he decided his national team jersey would carry the name Zidane.

“So for me, being able to honour my grandfather by joining the national team is very important,” he said. “The next jersey with the name on it will be for him.” REUTERS