The secret behind the exclusion: did Luca Zidane pay the price for his father's stance on the thorny issue?
Goal | 11.11.2026 06:29
An Algerian press report has revealed the real reason behind the exclusion of Luca Zidane, the goalkeeper of Spain's Leganes, from Algeria's squad during the international break this November.
According to La Gazette du Fennec, which cited a source it described as reliable, national team technical director Brahim Hamdani does not want to call up Zidane until he believes the keeper is ready to reclaim a starting spot. He would rather not put him in an awkward position during the camp.
Hamdani justified his goalkeeping choices on the criterion of readiness and regular game time. "I made my decision based on a sporting criterion," he explained. "This position has a great deal of specificity, and I needed to choose between three goalkeepers with as many playing minutes as possible. The three goalkeepers who were selected are the ones who have played the most since the last gathering, and this is the only reason behind preferring them."
