Kansas City: Algeria's FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Argentina offered a unique storyline as goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane, made his World Cup debut against Lionel Messi, one of his father's greatest contemporaries.

Luca, 28, was named in Algeria's starting lineup for the Group J clash at Arrowhead Stadium, becoming the latest member of the famous Zidane family to feature on football's biggest stage.

Born in Marseille, France, Luca is the second son of Zinedine Zidane, the former France captain who inspired his country to the 1998 FIFA World Cup title and is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in football history. While his father represented France throughout his illustrious playing career, Luca chose to represent Algeria through his paternal heritage.

Zinedine Zidane's parents emigrated from Algeria to France before his birth, giving Luca eligibility to play for the North African nation. After representing France at youth level, including the Under-17 side that won the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, the goalkeeper switched his sporting nationality to Algeria in 2025.

FIFA approved the change in September last year, paving the way for Luca to make his senior international debut during Algeria's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Since then, he has established himself as one of the country's first-choice goalkeepers and was part of the squad that reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

At club level, Luca currently plays for Spanish side Granada. A product of Real Madrid's academy, he spent several years developing in the Spanish giant's youth system before enjoying spells with Racing Santander, Rayo Vallecano and Eibar. Though he never reached the heights of his legendary father as a player, he has carved out a solid professional career in Spanish football.

His World Cup debut, however, came against a player who has defined an era alongside Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Just minutes into the match, Lionel Messi found space in the Algerian defence and calmly beat Luca to score Argentina's opener. The goal was historic as it made Messi only the second player, after Cristiano Ronaldo, to score in five different FIFA World Cups.

Playing in a record sixth World Cup, Messi registered his 14th goal in the tournament and continued his remarkable run on the international stage. The strike came exactly 20 years after his World Cup debut for Argentina in 2006 and during his 200th appearance for the national team.