THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARIS — Zinedine Zidane insists his son has yet to decide whether to play for France or Spain’s under-16 team and that the most important thing is that the 15-year-old Enzo succeeds in his studies.
After mounting speculations in the Spanish press that Enzo Zidane would soon represent Spain at junior level, Zidane said neither France nor Spain has yet called up his son to play, and "it’s all for the better."
In an interview airing Wednesday on the TV5 Monde channel, Zidane also said Enzo has inherited his technical skills after spending hours playing football for fun together.
"When I look at him, I see myself," Zidane said. "Today I don’t want to speak about (his future). He is just a kid who enjoys playing football. He is passionate and this is a good thing. The most important thing for us is that he’ll succeed at school first and then he’ll do what he likes."
The head of the Spanish under-16 team reportedly said he plans to call up Enzo, whose mother has Spanish origins.
Zidane, the former Juventus and Real Madrid playmaker who won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship with France, decided to stay in Madrid after ending his career following the 2006 World Cup.
Enzo, the eldest of four sons, has impressed observers with his skills while playing for Real’s junior team. He was named after the former Uruguay and Marseille forward Enzo Francescoli, Zidane’s childhood hero.