Enzo Zidane, the eldest son of football legend Zinedine Zidane, has officially announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 29. After being without a club since 2023, Enzo has decided to hang up his boots, ending a career that saw him play across several European leagues but ultimately fall short of the lofty expectations placed upon him.
Enzo came through the ranks at Real Madrid, where his father Zinedine was a legendary player and later, a celebrated coach. Enzo’s only appearance for the senior Real Madrid side came during the 2016/17 season in a Copa del Rey match against Cultural Leonesa. He marked his debut with a goal in the 6-1 victory, a match that also saw Martin Odegaard make his debut for the Spanish giants. While Odegaard’s career has soared, with the Norwegian now captaining Arsenal and regarded as one of Europe’s top playmakers, Enzo’s path has been less illustrious.
Following his brief stint at Madrid, Enzo embarked on a journey across Europe, playing in Spain’s lower divisions, Switzerland, Portugal, and France. His last club was Fuenlabrada, a third-tier Spanish outfit, where he made 29 appearances during the 2022/23 season. His final professional game came in May 2023.
Enzo’s decision to retire, according to reports from Spanish outlet AS, stems from frustration and “boredom” after being unable to secure a new club. His focus will now shift to his family, including his wife Karen and their three daughters.
The Burden of a Famous Name
In a 2018 interview with Marca, Enzo spoke about the challenges of growing up as the son of one of football’s greatest-ever players. He described the constant comparisons and criticism he faced throughout his career but maintained that his priority was to forge his own identity as a footballer and make his family proud.
A Career Shaped by Resilience
Enzo’s retirement marks the end of a career that never quite reached the heights that many had anticipated. However, his love for the game and desire to explore different footballing experiences, as he once expressed, will remain a significant part of his journey. While Enzo steps away from the game, his three younger brothers—Luca, Theo, and Elyaz—continue their football careers at clubs such as Granada, Cordoba, and Real Betis, respectively.
Despite the weight of his surname and the pressures that came with it, Enzo Zidane leaves behind a career shaped by resilience and the pursuit of his own path, away from the immense shadow cast by his father.
Enzo Zidane has decided to hang up his boots at the age of 29, putting an end to a career that didn’t reach the heights he and many others had anticipated. Despite a promising start in football, his journey was not without obstacles and disappointments. The eldest son of Zinedine Zidane, a Real Madrid legend, has chosen to retire after his stint with Fuenlabrada in the Primera RFEF, ultimately stepping away from his dream of establishing himself at the top level of football.
A Dream That Faded
From a young age, Enzo was linked to Real Madrid, where he spent more than a decade training in the club’s academy. His debut with the first team came in November 2016 under the guidance of his father during a Copa del Rey match against Cultural Leonesa. Enzo made an unforgettable impact by scoring a goal in that game; however, the initial spark slowly faded over time. Expectations were high, but opportunities in the first team were limited, and he soon had to seek new challenges away from the white club.
A Journey Across Europe
In his quest for stability and playing time, Enzo embarked on a journey across several European clubs, including Alavés, Lausanne in Switzerland, Rayo Majadahonda, CD Aves in Portugal, Almería, and Rodez Aveyron in France’s Ligue 2. At each stop, Enzo tried to find his best form, but circumstances and the lack of consistency on the pitch prevented him from becoming a key player for any of these teams.
The Weight of a Famous Name
The pressure of carrying such a distinguished surname in the football world was always present. Being the eldest son of a legend like Zinedine Zidane was a heavy burden that followed Enzo throughout his career. Although he tried to forge his own path with his name, his development was constantly compared to his father’s legacy. This pressure, combined with a lack of opportunities and mental fatigue, contributed to his decision to step away from professional football for good.
A New Chapter Begins
By the summer of 2023, after finishing his time with Fuenlabrada, Enzo had already considered the possibility of retirement. Although some teams expressed interest in signing him, the midfielder felt that continuing in football wouldn’t bring him the same fulfillment it once had. He chose to step away from the game to focus on his family and new projects outside of the sport.
Enzo Zidane’s farewell leaves a bittersweet feeling, as many had hoped his career would follow in his father’s footsteps and that he would shine at the top of European football. However, his journey serves as a reminder that in this sport, talent and effort aren’t always enough to achieve the desired success. Now, Enzo embarks on a new path away from football, closing an important chapter in his life with the same dignity with which he faced every challenge in his career.
Enzo Zidane has reportedly called time on his professional career aged 29 having been without a club since 2023.
A Career That Fell Short of Expectations
The son of footballing legend Zinedine came up through the ranks at Real Madrid, where he played under the 1998 World Cup winner. His only appearance for Los Blancos' senior side came in the Copa del Rey during the 2016/17 season, where he scored on his debut. His outing in the 6-1 win over Cultural Leonesa was also the same game in which Martin Odegaard made his debut for the club. And their careers have taken on hugely different paths, with Odegaard going on to captain Arsenal where he is now one of Europe's top playmakers. Whereas Enzo has failed to reach the heights expected of him, with the midfielder subsequently becoming a journeyman across Europe.
A Journeyman's Tale
Enzo bounced around clubs, where he competed in Spain's top three divisions, while also playing in Switzerland and Portugal's top level, as well as Ligue 2 in France. The 2022/23 season saw him at Spanish third-tier outfit Fuenlabrada, where he made 29 appearances in all competitions. His final game came on May 2023, with news outlet AS stating that after over a year out of the game, Enzo has now decided to hang up his boots. It has been said the decision has been made out of his 'boredom' at not being able to find a new club. The report goes onto state that attention for the former Alaves man will now focus on his family and three daughters with wife Karen.
The Burden of a Famous Name
In an interview with Marca in 2018, Enzo opened up on the burden of being the son of one of football's greatest ever players. He said: "I've had it since I was little, and it's always going to be that way. It's not going to change, but I try to remove myself from it and focus on being the best possible Enzo. People compare you, criticise you, want more from you, and say you are there because you are somebody's son. Others will be criticised for other things, but I try not to think about it. The most important thing is that my family are proud of me. I just think about growing up as Enzo and nothing else. I was 22 years old (at Madrid), after going through the academy and learning from the first team, my goal was to try other things and grow as a footballer,' he continued. 'Madrid are the best team in the world and it is very difficult to find a space there, but the life of a player is like that. I wanted to leave to experience good moments elsewhere and have the same dream."
Enzo still has three younger brothers playing football - Luca, Theo and Elyaz - who are on the books at Granada, Cordoba and Real Betis respectively.
The eldest son of the Zidane family is handing in his boots. Enzo, 29, is leaving football after a difficult career in which he was never able to establish himself in the top flight. According to ‘AS’, the former midfielder has decided to retire, demotivated by the difficulties to fit into the world of football, where he had been unemployed for a season.
A Difficult Path
Fuenlabrada was the last stop on the Bordeaux-born player's journey, where his father was a star back in 1995. Curiously, the Madrid team was one of the ones that gave him the most opportunities and he did not leave a bad balance, although his season went from better to worse.
Like all his younger brothers, Enzo wanted to follow in Zinedine's footsteps and started playing in Real Madrid's youth system. He left good impressions in the youth ranks and in Real Madrid C until he arrived at the 'Merengues' reserve team, where he spent two good seasons. In November 2016, his father gave him the opportunity to wear the first team shirt in a Copa del Rey match against Cultural Leonesa at the Santiago Bernabeu in which he scored.
However, that experience was not followed up and remained anecdotal. The club told him to look for a team after 13 years in the youth ranks and he found himself at Alaves, who play Real Madrid on Tuesday. There he could only play four games and in the winter he left for Lausanne Sports in Switzerland. After that, he returned to Spain and played a remarkable season with Rayo Majadahonda in the second division, although he was unable to avoid relegation.
From then on, the playmaker's path became more and more complicated. He never had consistency. In 2019-20 he spent half a season at Desportivo Aves in Portugal and another half at Almeria before spending eight months on the sidelines. In 2021-22 he returned after signing for Ligue 2 side Rodez, where his father is a shareholder, and finally played for recently relegated Fuenlabrada in the Spanish third tier.
The Burden of a Famous Name
The figure and surname of Zinedine Zidane were key to Enzo's arrival in professional football and even for him to stay there, but they were also a difficult burden to bear because of the very high expectations placed on him. After leaving ‘Fuenla’, the few offers he had were rejected because he didn't want to keep wandering around aimlessly. At that point he had practically decided that this was not for him.
Why former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane's eldest son has quit professional football at the age of just 29 has been revealed.
Following in His Father’s Footsteps
Zidane is widely considered to be one of the best footballers to have ever graced the pitch as his career with Juventus, Real, and France earned him legendary status not only in Europe but around the world. His managerial career as Los Blancos head coach has also earned him iconic status, and he remains the only manager in history to win three successive UEFA Champions League titles. The 52-year-old has four sons, namely Enzo, Luca, Theo, and Elyaz Zidane, with all of them having taken up football as a career hoping to emulate their father. However, none of them appear to be remotely close to the soaring heights their dad reached, and now one of them, Enzo, has called time on his days as a professional footballer.
According to Goal, Enzo Zidane has retired from the sport at the age of just 29 to focus on his business investments instead. The former attacking midfielder has been without a club since his contract with Spanish third-tier side CF Fuenlabrada expired in July 2023. Furthermore, he is said to have been demoralised by the fact that he could not reach a similar level to his dad, and is believed to have initially made the decision to retire before he was actually forced to take the plunge after spending a year as a free agent. The former player was on the books of Real's academy from 2004 to 2017, playing one senior game under his father, in which he scored, before joining Deportivo Alaves. He also had spells at clubs in Switzerland, Portugal, and France, before returning to Spain with Fuenlabrada.
His younger siblings, however, remain in the sport, with Luca (26) and Theo (22) plying their trade for Granada and Cordoba, respectively, in Spain's second tier. Elyaz (20), meanwhile, plays for Real Betis' reserve side in the Spanish third tier.
