On June 21, two days before her 53rd birthday, Zinédine Zidane brought together her family, spanning four generations, around beautiful birthday cakes. But the star of the party was not the 1998 world champion. His father, Smaïl, celebrated his 90th birthday. On vacation in Mexico, Luca was not present with his grandfather. But he has just given her, a few months late, one of his best birthday gifts. The goalkeeper of Grenada CF (Spanish D2) opted for Algerian sporting nationality and has just been called up by the coach, Vladimir Petkovic, for the two qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup, against Somalia (this Thursday) and Uganda (October 14).
This double confrontation could validate the Fennecs’ ticket for the World Cup. Smaïl and his wife Malika will not be in Oran or Tizi Ouzou but in front of their television, in Marseille, to encourage this grandson who has returned to the roots of his paternal family. After choosing the French teams (from U16 to U20) like his three brothers, Enzo, Théo and Elyaz, Luca (27 years old) moved to the other side of the Mediterranean. The opportunity to shine on the international stage during the next African Cup of Nations in Morocco (December 21-January 18), then the prospect of a World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada (June 11-July 19) weighed in this choice. But not only that.
Aguemoun, Marseille, Paris
In Zizou and his sons, there is always something of Algeria, a little of Spain too (the parents of their wife and mother, Véronique, are from Andalusia). As children, the four boys had their mother’s surname, Fernandez, plastered on their Real Madrid jerseys for a long time out of discretion. Today, Luca, Théo and Elyaz play in three Andalusian clubs, in Granada, Cordoba and Betis Sevilla.
It is perhaps no coincidence for this worldly family, shared between Marseille, Madrid and the birthplace of Aguemoun. Located in Kabylia, Agemmun n At Sliman is in the commune of Boukhelifa, in the wilaya of Béjaïa. The “douar” (hamlet) is planted on a small hill. Smaïl lived there until the age of 18 in an akham, a traditional Berber house without electricity, heated by the kanoun, a fire on the ground. A stream had been diverted to bring water to the two rooms where the six siblings and their parents lived.
Smaïl left him, barefoot, in September 1953, with a ticket in the hold of a boat for France. “I saw nothing of the sea, of the crossing, I only saw scrap metal and a few chairshe says in his biography On the stone paths (ed. Michel Lafon, 2017). Above all, I was afraid that the boat would sink. » He landed in Marseille but did not stop there, due to lack of work, and settled in Paris for almost ten years. In July 1962, Algeria now independent, he wanted to return permanently to Aguemoun. While waiting, in Marseille, for the boat to Algiers, he meets Malika, the future mother of Zinédine, three other boys (Madjid, Farid, Noureddine) and a girl (Lila). The life of the Zidanes will therefore ultimately be built at Castellane, in Marseille.
But Algeria and even more Kabylia will always be in the heart of the family. Zizou concedes having passed “an unforgettable vacation” in his father’s village and “frequently recalls memories” by eating a khefafe, a Berber bread pancake, or an olive lejwaz in sauce, “simple things that always bring a lot of good”. Luca also likes these little dishes from his grandmother. He discovered them, like the country, at ten years old. His father had already told him about the vacation in the country in 1986. Smaïl had loaded up the R12 for a long journey with a crossing of the Mediterranean to Bejaïa, then a road bumpy with potholes to Aguemoun.
“My dad and my mom guided me and this mix between France and Algeria is great. She enriches me »
Farid, the big brother judoka (vice-champion of Algeria in -86 kg among the military) and who did his military service in Dely Ibrahim, joined them in Kabylia. It was already talking about football. “Yazid” or “Yaz’”, as Zinédine is most often called there, evoked memories of the Blues’ Seville 1982 as well as those of the memorable Algeria-FRG in Gijon (2-1), followed with his father on the Castellane sofa.
His heart then beat as hard for Platini’s gang as for that of Rabah Madjer, Mustapha Dahleb and Lakhdar Belloumi. Zinédine Zidane has never denied his origins, his dual culture and nationality. “I was born in France but my roots are therehe often repeated. My dad and my mom guided me and this mix between France and Algeria is great. It enriches me. It’s complicated to go to Algeria anonymously but I feel every time that I am part of the pride of the Algerians. I have been supported throughout my career by these people. »
The French legend, who wore the tricolor jerseys from the juniors to the A for more than two decades, will wait until the end of his career to return. Twenty years after his last trip, he was received as a head of state in December 2006 with Smaïl, Malika and Noureddine. Very affected by the deadly earthquake of May 2003 in the Boumerdes region, he organized a charity match between France 98 and OM which raised €935,000. He will verify the proper use of these funds for programs for orphaned and abandoned children. He will then be decorated with the Athir medal, the equivalent of the National Order of Merit, by Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The former president is a fan of Zidane, who will dribble all the political recoveries by reminding that he is a “sports man”.
He will also avoid speaking out about the France-Algeria of October 6, 2001 (4-1), the first and only in history, which never ended with the invasion of the Stade de France pitch. He will then return regularly, but now discreetly, with his father. Together, they created the Zidane Foundation in 2010. “It’s the best way for my father to realize all the plans he has in mind”Zidane will admit. She always does good with Yazid, as president, and Smaïl, as treasurer. It played an important role during the pandemic in 2020 by purchasing respirators, monitoring monitors and ambulances.
Returning to his new, more comfortable home in Aguemoun, Smaïl will offer a school bus to his commune, equip many houses with drinking water and have part of the local cemetery renovated. This is where Farid, his second son, who died of cancer at the age of 54, was buried in July 2019.
The country is pushing for him to become the number 1 goalkeeper
Luca obviously had a nice thought for his uncle when making his choice. And the whole family will be behind him for his debut with the Fennecs. “I want my children to live their livesconfided Zizou, questioned by The Team for his 50th birthday. I want them to be happy. They are the ones who manage their careers. When they want to talk, I am of course there to help them. I know they are good. And that’s the most important thing for their mom and the dad that I am. »
The baptism of fire could be very quick for Luca, the goalkeeper who dreams of the World Cup like all footballers. “If I summoned him, it’s because he deserves it above allsaid Petkovic about the 2015 U17 European Champion. We’ve been following him for a long time. I am convinced that with his characteristics, he can bring us other qualities. » In any case, his name already makes the whole country tremble with happiness and honor, which is pushing for him to become number 1 in the selection ahead of local goalkeepers Alexis Guendouz (MC Algiers) and Oussama Benbot (USM Algiers).
Smaïl then risks being as proud as July 12, 1998, even if he had not seen the final that evening. All evening, in his garden, he had rocked a two-month-old toddler named… Luca. “My son Nouredinne will come and warn me at each goal and will run away just as quicklyhe says in his book. How happy our Yazid must be! But then I can’t take my gaze away from Luca’s closed eyes, from Luca’s light breathing. And my lips whisper to him in spite of myself: ”Ah, your father, your father…” I feel so good, at this moment, so filled with gratitude for all this happiness that God gives us, that I thank him and ask him to protect this little being who is awakening to life. » And which, 27 years later, begins a new story with Algeria.
