Son of Zinedine Zidane called up to international squad after switching allegiance

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Luca Zidane, son of France great Zinedine Zidane, has been called up to Algeria’s squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Somalia and Uganda after switching allegiance to the country where his grandparents hailed from.

The goalkeeper, who played for France at junior level, made the switch after the move was approved by football’s world governing body FIFA last month.

Zidane, who plays for Spanish second-division outfit Granada, qualified for the North African country through his father, whose parents originated from the Kabylie region of Algeria.

The 27-year-old was called up for the matches against Somalia on October 9 and Uganda five days later.

Algeria lead Group G with 19 points, four ahead of nearest rivals Uganda. A win in either of the two remaining matches would secure qualification for next year’s finals in North America.

Zinedine Zidane won the World Cup with France in 1998.