The son of the legendary Zinedine Zidane, Enzo, retired from football at just 29 due to boredom. The premature ending of his career means he has missed out on a potential call-up to the French national team, with Zidane Sr the new boss of Les Bleus.
Zidane, the Real Madrid icon, has taken over the position from Didier Deschamps, who stepped down after guiding France to the last four of the World Cup this summer. However, Enzo, now 31, will not be a part of his dad's squad after curtailing his professional career. Enzo was eligible to play for France, Spain, and through his paternal grandparents, Algeria.
The midfielder made one appearance for Spain under-15s but switched allegiances to France in 2014. Enzo began his career with Italian giants Juventus in 2000, for whom his father also played. He signed for another of his father's teams, Real, in 2004.
Following stints in the Spanish capital's C and B squads, his maiden appearance for the first team arrived in 2016. Managed by his father at the time, he even managed to find the back of the net during his senior debut.
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His early promise fizzled out, however, and he was unable to establish himself as a regular at the Santiago Bernabeu. He subsequently bounced around various teams in Spain, Switzerland, Portugal and France.
Departing Madrid, Enzo signed for La Liga side Alaves, though he featured only twice for them. He then moved to Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland, a spell that concluded with him being loaned back to Spanish club Rayo Majadahonda. His time in Portugal with Aves was short-lived, yielding just 11 games, before he finished his playing days with Almeria, French team Rodez, and, finally, Spanish fourth-tier outfit Fuenlabrada.
His eventual loss of passion for the sport is largely understandable, given that he had not played a competitive match since May 2023, leaving him without a team for a staggering 16 months. According to the Spanish outlet AS, Enzo had simply lost interest, though he had previously admitted that carrying the heavy burden of being Zinedine's son was immensely taxing. The AS report noted that Enzo is currently dedicating his time to his spouse and three children.
He has been open about the difficulties of living up to the massive legacy left by his dad, however. Enzo explained to Marca:
“It has been there since my childhood [being compared to his dad], and it will perpetually remain that way. That isn't shifting, yet I strive to distance myself from the noise and concentrate on becoming the greatest Enzo I can be.
“The public measures you against him, judges you, demands extra from you, and claims your success is just because of your parentage. People face judgment for all sorts of reasons, but I attempt to block it out. What truly matters is making my family proud. I simply focus on evolving as Enzo, nothing more.”
Zidane has three other sons, all of whom are professional footballers. Theo, 24, is a midfielder for Cordoba, Luca, 28, plays in goal for Granada, and 20-year-old Elyaz currently lines up for Red Star in France.
Zidane Snr. is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history. The 1998 World Cup champion won two Serie A titles while at Juventus. Following an unprecedented £46million transfer to Real Madrid in 2001, he went on to lift both the La Liga trophy and the Champions League.
The 1998 Ballon d'Or recipient enjoyed an even more illustrious period while managing the Spanish heavyweights. Over the course of two separate managerial tenures, he secured a duo of La Liga championships alongside a trio of Champions League titles.
He was confirmed as the new manager of the France national team on Tuesday, saying in a statement:
“I have often said, ‘There is nothing greater than the French national team’.
“It is therefore a joy – and obviously a source of great pride – to become the head coach of this French team. It is also a responsibility. Needless to say, I have great ambitions for the French national team!”
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