Zinedine Zidane Returns as Head Coach of France National Team

Zinedine Zidane is heading back to the France national team, this time not as the conductor on the pitch but as the man in charge on the touchline. News that the 1998 World Cup icon has agreed to become head coach of Les Bleus has sent French football into a familiar state of fever.

According to L’Équipe, Zidane will officially take over on September 1, with reports indicating his deal runs through to mid-2030. A long-term bet on a national hero. A new cycle for France.

While the spotlight swings back to “Zizou”, another Zidane has been quietly writing a very different international story.

Luca Zidane, a different path

Last September, Luca Zidane turned his back on the French set-up and chose Algeria. The 28-year-old goalkeeper, born and raised in the shadow of his father’s legend, committed his international future to the North African nation and went on to represent Algeria at this World Cup.

He did it the hard way. Despite suffering a chin and jaw injury shortly before the tournament, Luca started in goal, entrusted as Algeria’s No 1 on the biggest stage. No fanfare, no grand declarations. Just a goalkeeper fighting for his place and his new colours.

His decision to switch allegiance drew attention precisely because of his surname. While the father returns to lead France, the son now wears green, not blue.

From Valdebebas to La Liga 2

Luca’s journey has never been straightforward, and it began in the most scrutinised academy in world football.

He came through the youth ranks at Real Madrid, growing up at Valdebebas with the weight of a name that defined an era at the Bernabéu. In 2018, he made his professional debut for Real Madrid, at a time when his father sat in the dugout as head coach. It was a unique dynamic: a World Cup winner managing his own son at one of the biggest clubs on the planet.

Luca made two La Liga appearances for Madrid before his chapter there closed in 2020. He then signed a two-year contract with Rayo Vallecano, staying in Spanish football but stepping away from the white glare of the Bernabéu. During his final season as a Madrid player, he also spent time on loan at Racing de Santander, searching for minutes, rhythm and a career on his own terms.

The move down a rung did not halt his progress. In 2022 he joined SD Eibar, a club that knows all about punching above its weight. Luca spent two seasons there in the Spanish second tier, sharpening his game in a league that is unforgiving for goalkeepers.

In 2024, he took the next step, signing for Granada CF, another La Liga 2 side with ambitions of climbing back to the top flight. It is there, away from the glamour and noise that follows his father, that Luca is building his own reputation.

As Zinedine Zidane prepares to reshape France from the dugout, his son stands in goal for Algeria and battles through the grind of Spain’s second division. Two careers, two nations, one surname that continues to shape the landscape of modern football in very different ways.