World Cup: Did Zidane surname hang heavy on Algerian goalkeeper Luca?

The Zidane surname must have weighed heavy on Algeria goalkeeper Luca, son of the French legend Zinedine, on his World Cup debut on Wednesday. The 28-year-old aroused major curiosity all round but the occasion went sour for him as Argentina’s talismanic skipper Leo Messi went on a rampage to score his first-ever hattrick in six appearances.

It was the 27^th instance of a father-son combination making appearances in the World Cup but the novelty in Zidanes’ case is that unlike his father, Luca switched his international allegiance to Algeria. Born in Marseille, he previously represented France up to under-20 level but he was eligible for the Fennecs, as the Algerian national squad is known as, through his paternal grandparents.

 “We’ve lived in an Algerian culture since we were small,” Luca told The Athletic in an interview. “It’s an honour to play for Algeria. The final decision was mine but I spoke with my family, my parents, my brothers, my grandfather. My father was happy, he knew it was something I wanted to do. To be able to play in a World Cup is a dream for any kid.”

 It was a pragmatic decision on the part of the shot-stopper as making it to the French squad would have been almost impossible given the competition. There was a lot of curiosity about Luca, the Granada goalkeeper, as he wore a face mask and inquiries revealed that he had fractured his chin and jaw due to a collision while playing for club team Granada against Almeria in April.

Zinedine, 1998 World Cup winner for France and considered the greatest in post-Maradona generation till the arrival of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, looked crestfallen on TV screen as Messi caught his son on the wrongfoot thrice to find the target. “What we are witnessing from Lionel Messi tonight is something you simply cannot prepare for as a coach, as a football professional, or even as a parent watching your own child on the opposite side,” said Zizou.

“A hat-trick at this level of football, in a match of this intensity, against a team where my son is involved, creates a very complicated emotional situation that is difficult to fully explain in words. As a football man, you have no choice but to respect absolute greatness when you see it in front of you, but as a father, you are also watching your child try to compete against something that feels almost impossible to stop.”

 “I have immense respect for what he is doing tonight because this is not normal football anymore, this is a player operating at a level where everything he touches becomes decisive. And yes… as a father watching from the sidelines, there is that silent moment where you just want the match to end, not because of anger, but because of how overwhelming the situation has become,” he said. 

Back in 2018, Zinedine—then in charge of Real Madrid—handed Luca his La Liga debut where he had two first team appearances for Los Blancos. He joined Granada in 2024 after spells with Rayo Vallecano and Eibar.

While the Zidanes are the 27th father-son duo to play at the World Cup, they are only the second to do so for different nations. Mazinho and Thiago Alcantara of Spain are the only others to hold the distinction. Thiago was part of the Spain squad in 2018 whilst his father represented Brazil at two World Cups, including their 1994 triumph.