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Real Madrid and France legend Zinedine Zidane is among the greatest players to have ever set foot on the football field. He is currently the Real Madrid B-team’s (Castilla) coach, but more interestingly, his four sons are all out on the pitch playing in the famous white shirt.
Zidane’s offspring are currently playing at various levels of the club’s youth system, and we could well be seeing the Zidanes establish football’s greatest ever dynasty in the near future. But there are a lot of things that need to happen before something like that comes to pass, and it all starts with the father himself.
Zidane to lead Real Madrid first team in the future?
Club president Florentino Perez believes the former Madrid player could one day lead the first team. To that end, he has sent the Frenchman to Munich to learn the tricks of the trade from one of Europe’s best managers, Pep Guardiola, for three days, as per ESPN FC. Zidane, along with Claude Makelele, is spending this week at Bayern Munich’s facilities witnessing first hand how Guardiola works on the training ground.
The former Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner has had great success as a player, but could he go on to become a prolific manager too? Zidane is currently in charge of the third division Castilla team, which would possibly go into a play-off for a place in the second division provided they win their division.
Expecting Zidane to emulate Guardiola immediately would be too much to ask. This, despite the fact that the French legend has shown plenty of toughness and mettle to cope with the intense spotlight on him both in Spain and France.
The task of matching Bayern Munich coach’s tactical brilliance and obsessive character is out of the question, but Zidane could still lead the Real Madrid team one day. His long-term desire of taking up the coaching role for the national side may also come knocking at his door if he does well at the Bernabeu.
Enzo Fernandez, the first-born
Enzo Fernadez, Zidane’s first-born son, was recently handed the armband for the Castilla team. He is currently eligible to play for Spain, France and Algeria in international competitions.
Football fans would be hoping that the weight of emulating his famous father doesn’t turn out to be too much of a burden on the 20-year-old’s shoulders. He is gifted, no doubt, and he has evoked memories of his father’s playing style in the No. 10 role for the Castilla team. The Bernabeu faithful have had high expectations from him ever since his call-up to the first team squad as a 16-year-old by Jose Mourinho.
Enzo may well end up as nothing more than a patch on Zidane, but is that such a crime? Jordi Cruyff came to the young boy’s defence by explaining the existence of two types of football players. “The legends and the mortals. My father is a legend and I am a mortal. The legends like my father; they come, they do and they remain. I am part of the vast majority of mortals; we come, we do and we die.” reflected the Dutchman, according to The Guardian.
Enzo Fernandez is yet to make a breakthrough in his career and live up to his father’s name. However, it is patently unfair to judge a 20-year-old at this early stage of his career. Who knows, maybe the name of Fernandez will stay in history longer than that of Zidane.
Luca Fernandez, the second son
A lot of attention has been showered on the talented Enzo Fernandez, who seems likely to succeed in his father’s footsteps. But Zidane’s second son Luca Fernandez is backed by many in France to have a more successful career than the eldest son.
Luca Fernandez was born right before his father won the World Cup with France in 1998. Unlike his father though, Luca is the man between the sticks for Real Madrid’s Under 17 Juvenil B Team. So far, he has been mighty impressive with his goalkeeping skills, and many are keeping an eye on the young emerging talent.
Theo and Elyaz Fernandez, the third and fourth in line
Zidane’s two youngest boys play for Real Madrid boys’ teams and have both grown up in Spain. Elyaz, who turned 10 recently and Theo, aged 13, both play in midfield. Like their elder brothers, Elyaz and Theo have an option to play for Algeria, France and Spain.
Zidane’s four sons could well replicate the situation of the Boateng brothers, who faced each other for Ghana and Germany back in the 2010 World Cup. That, however, can happen only if all the four brothers make it to international football and don’t pick the same country.
Can Zidane’s sons emulate their legendary father and go on to build a dynasty at the Bernabeu?
The Zidane dynasty could become a reality at the Santiago Bernabeu, but it heavily relies on the shoulders of the four young men. Zidane is yet to get the job as coach but it could come soon for the French legend. Enzo and Luca are on the verge of making a breakthrough in their career and become professionals. While Elyaz and Theo are still on the process of development, the signs are positive from them too.
There have been instances in football when sons have failed to live up to their famous fathers’ name. The most famous of those is Diego Maradona's son Diego Sinagra who, while playing youth football at Napoli, was mercilessly mocked by an Italian journalist.
He wrote: “If you threw Maradona an orange he'd catch it on his foot, juggle it and balance it on his head. If you threw his son an orange he'd catch it in his hands, peel it and eat it,” as reported by Daily Mail.
All of Zidane’s four sons are talented and could go on to become famous like their dad. If the boys keep working hard and if everything goes according to plan with Zidane taking up the coaching role at the Bernabeu, we could well see football’s greatest dynasty in the near future. The onus is now on the Zidane family; no pressure lads!
