Luca Zidane arrived at his first pre-season as a World Cup goalkeeper. He left it without a club. That gap lasted roughly 48 hours.
Granada confirmed on Friday that the 28-year-old's contract had been terminated by mutual agreement, with a year still remaining on the deal. He made 45 appearances across two seasons for Los Nazaríes — decent numbers for a second-tier keeper — but the club clearly decided that rebuilding without him made more sense than honouring the final year.
"I arrived with the goal of taking Granada back to the division the city and club deserve," Zidane wrote on Instagram. "But unfortunately, it was not to be." Granada finished the season still stuck in La Liga 2. The project didn't deliver. That much is plain.
A World Cup summer, then a fresh start
The timing is a little strange, given what preceded it. Luca had just played three games at the World Cup in North America representing Algeria — including their Round of 32 exit against Switzerland, where he conceded six and made eight saves. His father Zinedine is now France's national team head coach, which means the Zidane name is never far from the headlines. Luca is carving out his own path in the Spanish second division, away from that shadow, even if he can't fully escape it.
CD Leganés moved quickly. The newly relegated side — they won La Liga 2 in 2024, went straight back down after one top-flight season, and finished 16th last year — have signed him on a one-year deal with an option for a second. He links up with the squad Saturday and gets his official presentation on August 12th.
What this means at Butarque
Leganés are a club rebuilding their identity after the yo-yo cycle of the last two seasons. A goalkeeper with nearly 200 professional appearances and fresh international experience isn't a bad addition for that project. Zidane isn't a world-beater, but he's proven, he's available, and he comes with motivation to establish himself somewhere stable.
For anyone tracking La Liga 2 markets this season, Leganés finished six points above the drop last year. New keeper, new chapter — whether that gap widens or shrinks will tell you a lot about whether this squad has genuinely improved or just reshuffled.
The club described him as having "exceptional technical skills, reflexes, and outstanding footwork." That reads a little like a press release. The next ten months will do the actual talking.
