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Algeria’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign was barely a minute old when Riyadh Mahrez steered the ball through a cluster of Sudan defenders to open the scoring. Now the first half was midway through and, Sudan having weathered a flourish of Algerian dominance, a creeping sense of ennui had taken hold.
It was then that the big screen cut to the watching figure of Zinedine Zidane, sending a fresh ripple of excitement around the Moulay El Hassan Stadium. Clad unostentatiously in black and sporting dark shades, his cap pulled low in a vain attempt to escape recognition, the former Real Madrid midfielder, French World Cup hero and Ballon d’Or winner offered the crowd a quick wave and a thumbs up before redirecting his attention to the game.
Zidane was in the Moroccan capital of Rabat to watch his son, Luca, who elected to become a goalkeeper at an early age in an effort to prevent direct comparison with his father. What few would have expected at that stage, as Luca worked his way through the youth age groups for France, is that the 27-year-old Granada goalkeeper would one day represent Algeria, the country of his paternal grandparents.
How Luca Zidane qualifies to play for Algeria
That has nonetheless been the case since September, when Fifa ratified Luca’s application to represent Algeria. The goalkeeper qualifies through his father’s parents Smaïl and Malika, who famously left the village of Taguemount Azouz in northern Algeria in 1953 to start a new life in France, first in Paris and then Marseille. Smaïl, in particular, was a key reference point for Luca as he arrived at the decision to switch national allegiance.
“When I think of Algeria, I remember my grandfather,” Luca said following Algeria’s 3-0 win over Sudan, his second outing for the north African republic. “Since childhood, we’ve had this Algerian culture in the family.
“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.
‘It was clear I wanted to go and represent my country’
“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.”
Zidane was among those he consulted, just as he has been at every stage of a professional journey that began as a youth player with Real Madrid. It was his father who gave Luca his professional debut for the club in May 2018, and his father who has advised and encouraged him through spells with Rayo Vallecano, Eibar and Granada.
“He supported me,” said Luca of his switch to Algeria. “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.’”
