Zinedine Zidane watched on from the stands as an Algeria side featuring his son, Luca, were beaten by Argentina at the 2026 World Cup.

Luca, a goalkeeper, was born in France and has spent much of his life in Spain. However, he has always been eligible to represent Algeria and officially switched allegiances ahead of this summer’s tournament.

The 28-year-old, who plays for Spanish second tier side Granada at club level, was named in his nation’s starting lineup for their opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Argentina.

Luca was powerless to resist as the reigning World Cup champions picked up a comfortable victory courtesy of the brilliant Lionel Messi. The Inter Miami forward, who was perhaps fortunate not to be sent off, netted a stunning hat-trick as the South Americans won 3-0.

Video of Zinedine Zidane in the Stands Goes Viral

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Luca did not have his best match in goal. According to SofaScore, he made just three saves during the game and had a goals-prevented stat of -0.78, meaning he conceded more goals than expected.

Despite completing all 37 of his passes, Luca was given a rating of just 6.3/10.

The camera panned to his father, Zinedine, with Argentina leading 2-0 with just over 15 minutes of the game remaining. The Real Madrid and France legend did not look impressed at all as he shook his hand before falling back into his seat.

Luca Zidane’s Performance vs Argentina Sparks Big Reaction

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Football fans watching the match were not impressed with Luca’s performance. One fan was especially brutal as they said: “The Algerian FA should be investigating everyone involved in getting Luca Zidane a starting spot in the XI. There’s no way he starts for them without serious strings being pulled behind the scenes. They’re risking an early World Cup exit and possibly losing out on millions of dollars.”

Another stated: “He doesn’t even know how to do the simple basics of goalkeeping. [The] first goal was genuinely embarrassing, and he went and conceded an even worse goal the second time.”

A third said: “Algeria’s population is 48 million. Is it possible there’s no better goalkeeper than this?” While a fourth commented: “There’s no way this guy goes professional without Zidane.”

Why Luca Zidane is Wearing a Mask at the 2026 World Cup

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In the spring, Luca fractured his jaw and chin, while suffering a severe concussion, following a sickening collision during a match against Almeria. He subsequently missed the rest of the domestic season and had to have surgery.

Despite that injury, Luca was named in Algeria’s 26-man squad for the World Cup. He hasn’t fully recovered, though, and is only allowed to play while wearing a black mask that covers the perimeter of his face.

Luca gave an update on his injury ahead of the tournament. He said: “I’m doing well, I don’t have any pain anymore. The surgery went well and five weeks have passed now. I returned to training on the pitch two weeks ago and I’m very happy.”

Luca and Algeria will be looking to bounce back when they face Jordan in their next Group J match on Monday, June 22.

Rangers are facing the possibility of losing a key star this summer, as Gianluca Di Marzio claims that a Serie A side are eyeing a regular starter from Ibrox.

It comes as the Glasgow outfit are facing a few big changes over the course of the next few weeks, with Danny Rohl set to leave the club and join RB Salzburg.

Derek McInnes is ready to take over, as he seems set to join from Scottish Premiership rivals Hearts, following the same path as Lawrence Shankland, who has already joined the club.

Further switches are expected in the transfer market if Rangers are to compete at the top once again, but there could be exits before any new arrivals.

Nicolas Raskin Transfer Interest

Reports from Gianluca Di Marzio claim that Nicolas Raskin has emerged as a key target for Serie A side Atalanta in the summer transfer window.

The midfielder is wanted by Maurizio Sarri, as his side prepare for another important campaign in the Italian league, as well as the Europa Conference League.

Raskin, who has been described as “phenomenal” during his time with Rangers, is currently away on international duty with Belgium at the World Cup.

The 25-year-old was included in Rudi Garcia’s 26-man squad, and made his World Cup debut when featuring from the bench in the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with Egypt.

It remains to be seen whether Raskin will make his decision on his future during or after the competition, but his involvement could mean there’s a wait for any transfer to be decided upon.

Rangers Should Cash In On Raskin

As Rangers look to address key areas of the squad, there will be a need to move some players around to help free up space for a proper refresh.

Raskin is one of the players the club should look to move on, as he enters the final two years of his contract at Ibrox, as doubts continue over his long-term future.

The Belgian has picked up over 140 appearances for Rangers, but injuries have ruled him out of some key games in the past two seasons.

If the team can pick up some fresh faces in the midfield to add a little more bite, as well as some quality in possession, then raising funds will also be important.

Raskin has been a great servant for the club, but his time could be coming to an end soon.

Manchester United and Arsenal are both expected to be big spenders in the transfer window this summer on the back of successful respective seasons.

The Gunners lifted the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years as well as reaching the Champions League final where they were beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, United recorded a third-place finish in the top-flight on the back of their worst-ever season in the Premier League.

As both clubs strive to be amongst the big hitters in England and in Europe, they are often linked with the same players. That has already been the case this summer, and it looks as though both are set to miss out on a target to one of Europe’s elite.

Bayern deal blows to Arsenal and Man Utd

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According to TEAMtalk, Bayern Munich have agreed a deal ‘in principle’ with Eintracht Frankfurt over the signing of left-back Nathaniel Brown who has been subject to interest from both Arsenal and United.

The report continues that Bayern are also set to sign forward Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven, who United have also been linked with previously. It is understood that the German giants are expected to spend a total of €110million for the duo.

Both players are currently in North America at the World Cup with Germany and Morocco respectively and are expected to have medicals while with their nations ahead of the proposed transfers.

The Gunners had reportedly made contact with Brown’s representatives, identifying the left-back’s versatility as valuable but were informed that talks with Bayern were at an advanced stage. United had also been seen off by the Bundesliga champions.

Both clubs need a left-back

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Although Brown was never strongly linked with either Arsenal or United, the 23-year-old would have been a useful signing for both clubs with the left-back position one both could do with strengthening.

Arsenal rotated between the likes of Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapié and Myles Lewis-Skelly throughout last season while United now have only Luke Shaw following Tyrell Malacia’s release.

Both teams will be looking to go far in the Champions League and both cup competitions next season alongside pushing at the top end of the Premier League, meaning depth will be crucial.

Brown is one of Europe’s up-and-coming left-backs on the back of an impressive campaign for Frankfurt. The 23-year-old made 42 appearances across all competitions last term, scoring four goals.

He is now Germany’s go-to left-back and scored in their 7-1 opening World Cup win over Curaçao last week. However, he looks set to remain in his homeland and sign for Germany’s biggest club, Bayern, instead of moving to England.