Left out by Hemdani due to lack of playing time, Luca Zidane's Algeria future darkens

Luca Zidane will not feature in the Algeria squad for the double fixture against Togo, scheduled for November 14 and 17 in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Coach Brahim Hemdani selected three other goalkeepers — Oussama Benbot, Melvin Mastil and Abdelatif Ramdane — leaving out the Leganés goalkeeper (28).

The omission came as a surprise in Spain, with newspaper AS calling it a “surprise”. Zidane was expected at the gathering after missing the previous one due to suspension. But his club situation changed everything: over the last two Liga 2 matchdays, he was benched in favour of Raúl Fernández, as his coach sought to halt a run of four consecutive defeats for the Pepineros.

Hemdani justified his decision unambiguously at a press conference. “I needed to have a choice between three goalkeepers who had maximum playing time. The three selected have maximum playing time since the last gathering, and that’s the only reason I decided in favour of these three goalkeepers,” he said.

Luca Zidane’s story with Algeria is recent and already chaotic. Naturalised in June 2025, he earned his first cap in September of the same year, three months before the Africa Cup of Nations. This change of sporting nationality sparked fierce debate. Since then, the former French youth international has alternated between good and less good performances in the Fennecs’ goal, never establishing himself as an undisputed regular starter.

His demotion at Leganés, even though it dates back only two weeks, is enough to cost him selection. The question of his future in the green shirt remains open: without regular playing time at club level, it will be difficult for Zinédine Zidane’s son to regain his place in Hemdani’s plans.