Algeria is suddenly very worried. Luca Zidane is not a talented goalkeeper. The second son of “Zizou” only plays in Spanish D2 at the age of 27 and showed his limits at the 2025 African Cup of Nations as number 1 of the Algerian team, being caught out on Nigeria’s two goals during the elimination in the quarter-finals of the competition, on January 10 in Marrakech (2-0).
His head injury last Sunday with Granada, however, is a big blow for the selection led by Vladimir Petkovic. The player trained at Real Madrid is very good on the feet and allows the Greens to be adept at restarting. Above all, the goalkeeper tank is quite ridiculous for the Algerian team. Anthony Mandréa is already out and number 3 from the last rally, Melvin Mastil, Swiss D2 player, is affected by an inguinal hernia.
Luca Zidane operational for the World Cup?
Hit in the head at the end of the match against Almeria (2-4), after conceding four goals, Luca Zidane was transported to hospital to receive treatment and remain under surveillance. The examinations were terrible: the native of Marseille suffers from a broken jaw and chin, as the Granada club indicated on Monday evening. The goalkeeper must now choose the most optimal treatment for the rest of his season.
A surgical intervention on these bones of the head will require him to be unavailable for at least a month and his withdrawal for the 2026 World Cup would be recorded. Conservative treatment can also be put in place to allow him to play the World Cup in North America, with a shock entry against Lionel Messi’s Argentina on June 16. He will then have to wear a protective mask for the end of Liga 2 and then the World Cup. There is therefore still hope for Luca Zidane and the Algerian national team.
