Enzo Zidane, the son of French football legend Zinedine Zidane, has chosen to represent the French national team, despite also being eligible to play for Algeria and Spain.
Alain Giresse, the coach of the Senegal national team, whose son Thibault plays for Guingamp in Ligue 1, shared his perspective on the challenges Enzo might face in an interview with 20minutes.fr:
“It’s not easy being the son of [a football legend]. We support him as best as possible. It is not a question of making him avoid all the traps but at least of guiding him in his choices, of making his task easier. We advise him on preparation and industry codes. In fact, he’s the one who asks the questions and we talk. Above all, we must avoid playing the role of dad giving lessons in this sport.”
“When it comes to overcoming inevitable comparisons, there is no preparation for this kind of thing but he must at all costs avoid bringing it up and ignore it as much as possible. It’s not easy and it can be confusing for him at first.”
The hope is that Enzo Zidane can navigate these challenges with resilience and focus on his own development as a footballer.