Théo Zidane has been included in Real Madrid’s squad to play Napoli on Wednesday evening.
Real Madrid could give a debut to a fourth member of the Zidane family against Napoli in the Champions League as 21-year-old midfielder Théo Zidane has been included in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the game at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday evening.
He would follow in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane, his father who won four Champions League titles during his time at the club as both a player and a coach, as well as his older brothers Enzo and Luca, who continue to ply their trades in the lower levels of Spanish soccer.
All four of Zinedine’s children are pursuing careers in professional soccer, with Théo and Elyaz still on the books of Real Madrid after all four have come through La Fábrica, as Real Madrid’s youth academy is known.
Théo has made 69 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s second team, and is now a regular for Raúl González, the former striker who is now the manager of the side. He has started 11 of Castilla’s 14 matches this season and has established himself after making his way into the team last year.
Following in his brothers’ footsteps
Any Zidane is going to struggle to live up to the legacy of Zizou, one of the club’s all-time legends after 227 appearances as a player and 301 games as the team’s coach.
However, Théo will be looking to compete with his brothers in terms of leaving his mark on the first team. Both Enzo and Luca were regulars for Castilla, like Théo, with 78 and 51 appearances respectively.
When it came to making their first team debut, Théo will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Enzo, who scored on his only Real Madrid appearance against Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey in 2016. Luca would go on to play twice, both in LaLiga, against Villarreal in 2018 and Huesca in 2019.
The eldest son Enzo is currently plying his trade on the outskirts of Madrid in the third tier with Primera RFEF club Fuenlabrada. His first move after leaving Real Madrid was to join Deportivo Alavés, before a move to France with F. C. Lausanne-Sport, a return to Spain at C. F. Rayo Majadahonda, then Portugal with C. D. Aves.
He returned to Spain for a year at U. D. Almería but left after only three appearances to join Rodez Aveyron Football, where his father is a shareholder, and then came back to Spain once again with CF Fuenlabrada in 2022.
Zinédine Zidane was accompanied by his four sons (Théo, Elyaz, Enzo, Luca, left to right) and his … [+]
Second son Luca has had a more successful career, and currently finds himself at high-flying Eibar in Segunda, the second division of Spanish soccer. The goalkeeper has made a name for himself as a reliable option at that level, following an impressive loan stint at Racing Santander, which earned him a move to Rayo Vallecano.
Promotion with Rayo was the highlight, with Luca earning the number one shirt for the team’s successful playoff campaign, but he played only 13 games in their first season back in the top flight and left for Eibar the following summer. He has now played 50 games as their first choice shotstopper.
Another Zidane to follow
Théo may not be the last Zidane to make a name for himself at Real Madrid, either. The youngest of the four sons is Elyaz, who is now 17 years of age and has been with Los Blancos for the past decade.
He can play as a left-back or as a central defender and has impressed many with his development to date, earning call-ups to represent the French national team at youth level for the under-17, under-18 and under-19 age groups, playing 19 times and scoring two goals in the process.
Currently playing for another former Real Madrid player, Álvaro Arbeloa, who is coaching the Juvenil A side, he is further away from the first team set-up but continues to impress coaches within the club.
Earlier this year, that was enough to earn him a call-up to train with the first team in a training session under Carlo Ancelotti. While Elyaz has not returned to that scene and his position is well covered following the summer arrival of Fran García, he may retain hope of one day following Théo, Luca and Enzo into the Real Madrid first team just like Zinédine.