Criticized after failed World Cup, Luca Zidane defended by former Algerian goalkeeper

Luca Zidane had a difficult 2026 World Cup under the colors of Algeria. Unconvincing and author of several mistakes, the 28-year-old goalkeeper lost his starting position from the third group stage match, against Austria, after a tournament marked by sharp criticism.

Former Algerian goalkeeper Nassim Oussrir defended him in an interview with Maghreb-Foot. “Whether at Grenade or Leganés, Luca Zidane plays at a very high level. Spanish second division is characterized by strong competition and high level of play, contrary to what some might think,” said the former CR Belouizdad goalkeeper. He added that the presence of Zinédine Zidane’s eldest son at Leganés — the club he joined this summer after leaving Grenade — “is not by chance,” with coaches and specialists having closely followed him before trusting him.

Oussrir also put into perspective the errors made during the tournament’s opening match against Argentina, the starting point of the harshest criticism. “I think goalkeepers are not infallible and you cannot judge a goalkeeper on a single match, even if he is not having a good day,” he said.

The former goalkeeper finally recalled the player’s training background to put his performances into context: “Let us not forget that this goalkeeper was trained at Real Madrid, in a prestigious academy of world level. Moreover, playing in Spanish second division is not given to all goalkeepers, especially when you know that Grenade and Leganés were playing, until recently, alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga.”