A legendary player’s son has reportedly hung up his boots at the relatively tender age of 29 due to ‘boredom’.
His ennui comes as little surprise given he has not tasted competitive action since May 2023.Â
The midfielder has decided he wants to focus on his family, having had two kids earlier this year, and channel his energy into his investments.Â
Only eight years ago he had the football world at his feet when, aged 21, he scored 18 minutes into his debut for a world-leading club with his first shot.Â
However, that Real Madrid bow in a 6-1 Copa del Rey win over Cultural Leonesa – made on the same day Martin Odegaard fully debuted for Los Blancos – proved to be his only appearance in the iconic white.Â
A football legend’s son has reportedly retired from football aged 29 due to ‘boredom’
He made one appearance for Real Madrid after a promising youth career but never found his feet at the top levelÂ
He has bounced around clubs in Spain, Switzerland, Portugal (pictured) and FranceÂ
Enzo Zidane, son of legendary player Zinedine, was given one match at Madrid by his father but never played for them againÂ
The player in question as per AS is Enzo Zidane, eldest son of Zinedine, who was manager at the time but never again gave his child another chance to play for the club.Â
He had made around 50 appearances for Madrid’s reserve team but that apprenticeship did not lead to a storied career at the Bernabeu like his father’s.Â
Enzo instead bounced around from club to club, playing in Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, and France.
Having Roberto Carlos as his agent was not enough to keep him in the gilded upper echelons of the sport.Â
While he did manage a couple of LaLiga outings for Deportivo Alaves and became a semi-regular at Lausanne in Switzerland, he spent large chunks of his career in the lower divisions.Â
By 2021-22 he was playing in France’s fifth tier for Rodez and his last game was for Fuenlabrada in Spain’s third division in 2022-23.Â
In 2018 he admitted that the pressure of having a legendary father was a burden.
He told Marca: ‘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.
Growing up as the son of a Ballon d’Or winner put a lot of pressure on Enzo’s shouldersÂ
He managed a couple of appearances in LaLiga for Deportivo Alaves, even facing Lionel Messi
He has been ‘bored’ and clubless since May 2023 but has found enjoyment playing padel
Enzo wants to spend more time with his family. He has three daughters with Karen, his wifeÂ
‘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.’
Should Enzo want to get close to the Bernabeu turf ever again, the opportunity will always be there – his family has a special box at the stadium.Â
Zidane’s other sons have also carved out careers in the sport. Theo is a midfielder for Cordoba, Luca is a goalkeeper for Granada, and Elyaz is a defender for Real Betis’ reserve team.