Zinedine Zidane Returns to France National Team as Coach
Zinedine Zidane is heading back to the France national team, this time not as the elegant No 10 but as the man with the final word on the touchline. News that the 1998 World Cup winner has agreed to take over Les Bleus has sent French football into a familiar state of frenzy. According to L’Équipe, Zidane will officially start on September 1, with reports suggesting his contract runs through to mid-2030 – a long-term bet on a national icon.
While the spotlight swings back to the father, the son has quietly been writing a very different international story.
Luca Zidane: the other Zidane’s new path
Last September, Luca Zidane turned his back on the French setup and chose Algeria. No grand fanfare, no sweeping documentary. Just a decisive switch from the country of his birth to the country of his roots on his mother’s side.
At this World Cup, the 28-year-old goalkeeper stood in goal for Algeria as the starter, even as he managed a recent chin and jaw injury. Strapped up, under pressure, on the biggest stage. Not a bad way to launch a new chapter.
The contrast is striking. Zinedine Zidane returns to France as head coach. Luca Zidane steps away from France to wear Algeria’s colours. One name, two directions.
From Valdebebas to La Liga 2
Luca’s story began, predictably, in Madrid. He came through the Real Madrid academy, growing up in the shadow of Valdebebas and under the gaze of a father who just happened to be coaching the first team.
He made his professional debut in 2018 for Real Madrid, during Zinedine Zidane’s spell in charge. The young keeper earned two La Liga appearances before it became clear he would need to leave the Bernabéu to play regularly. The surname opened doors, but it did not guarantee minutes.
Real Madrid sent him on loan to Racing de Santander in his final season at the club, a crucial step into the grind of senior football away from the spotlight. After that, he cut the cord completely. In 2020 he signed a two-year deal with Rayo Vallecano, committing himself to the hard road rather than a comfortable seat on the Madrid bench.
The pattern continued: steady, unspectacular, but serious. Between 2022 and 2024 he guarded the posts for SD Eibar in Spain’s second tier, learning the trade in stadiums where reputation counts for less than reactions and resilience.
His current stop is Granada CF, also in La Liga 2. No Champions League lights, no weekly global broadcasts, but a clear identity: a goalkeeper carving out his own career, far from the glow that still follows his father.
As Zinedine Zidane prepares to reshape France from the dugout, Luca Zidane stands in goal for Algeria and battles through the Spanish second division. One Zidane will be judged on trophies and tactics, the other on saves and survival. The family name is the same. The journeys could hardly be more different.
