Luca Zidane explained that his grandfather played a decisive role in convincing him to choose Algeria, urging him to be proud of his roots and represent the country of his family.
“My grandfather encouraged me to play for Algeria. He wanted me to be proud of my origins, and I wanted to honour him,” Zidane said, underlining how personal this decision was.
Zidane added that his father, Zinedine, told him to make his choice “with conviction”, reinforcing the idea that the final step had to come from his own heart.
Seeing his family in the stands in Rabat for his AFCON debut gave him even more strength to defend Algeria’s colours.
“It’s really nice that he came with my brother,” Luca added. “I’ve always had my family’s support, and seeing them here at AFCON gives me even more strength to defend Algeria’s colours.”
The Granada goalkeeper marked his Africa Cup of Nations debut with a clean sheet in Algeria’s 3–0 win over Sudan, a performance that justified his decision to embrace the Fennecs jersey.
Coach Vladimir Petković praised how Zidane brought “a real sense of security” and calmness with the ball, suggesting Algeria’s new number one is ready to lead a new era in goal.
