French football was celebrating on Monday after the news that Zinedine Zidane's 18-year-old son Enzo appears to have chosen to represent Les Bleus ahead of Spain.
Enzo, whose full name is Enzo Alan Zidane Fernandez, is known simply as Enzo Fernandez (his mother's name) and plays for one of his father's former clubs, Real Madrid, where he is currently in the A team, one below the first team.
Although born in France, the teenager holds dual nationality having moved to Spain as a young boy, and has been called up by Spain's under-15 side before, while also being eligible to play for Algeria, the birthplace of his grandparents.
His father Zinedine said he was relaxed which country his son would choose, however the naming of Enzo in a squad by the France under-19s coach Francis Smerecki for a training camp in Clairefontaine from the 3rd-5h of March would seem to suggest a decision has been made.
“The player has decided to wear the blue jersey,” declared the manager of France’s youth teams and former international team-mate of Zidane Snr, Willy Sagnol, on Monday. “He can still change in the future but it’s his current wish to play for the French national team.”
Zidane Snr, now 41, scored two goals in France's 1998 World Cup final 3-0 win over Brazil in Paris, but his international career ended in disgrace when he was sent off for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final in Germany, which France went on to lose on penalties.
The good news for France - and Real Madrid - is that attacking midfielder Enzo is not the only Zidane coming through the ranks. Zidane has four sons, and 15-year-old Luca, 11-year-old Theo, and Elyaz (8) are all in various youth teams at the Bernabeu.
