Granada terminated Luca Zidane's contract on Friday with a year still left on it — and within days, the 28-year-old had already moved on, signing a one-year deal with La Liga 2 rivals CD Leganés.
The speed of it all says something. This wasn't a goalkeeper clubs were queuing around the block for, but he's not without a market either. Nearly 200 professional appearances, two solid seasons at Granada totalling 45 games across the league and Copa del Rey, and a FIFA World Cup just wrapped up with Algeria, where he played three matches, made eight saves, and conceded six in a Round of 32 exit against Switzerland. There are worse CVs at this level.
What Granada are losing — and gaining
The split was mutual and clean. The club's statement was cordial. Luca's Instagram goodbye was genuine — "I leave with a clear conscience, knowing I gave my all for this club" — and you get the sense he means it. Granada brought him in with promotion ambitions. Those didn't materialise. When a project stalls, both sides tend to move on.
Leganés are a different proposition entirely. They won La Liga 2 in 2024, came straight back up to the top flight, got immediately relegated, and finished 16th last season — six points above the drop. Stability is not their strong suit. For a goalkeeper market, that kind of club is a double-edged signing: plenty of minutes, plenty of pressure, and a back four that may not always make life easy.
Leganés described Luca as a goalkeeper with "exceptional technical skills, reflexes, and outstanding footwork." Club statements are rarely harsh, but the footwork detail is deliberate — modern goalkeeping demands it, and it's clearly what they're buying into.
The Zidane name still opens doors — but Luca earns his own keep
Zinedine's son, yes. But Luca has spent the bulk of his career in Spain's second tier, away from the spotlight, building a career that could have coasted on a surname and didn't. Racing Santander, Rayo, Eibar, Granada, now Leganés. That's a journeyman's path, and at 28, he knows exactly what he is: a dependable La Liga 2 goalkeeper with international caps and no illusions about where he fits in the game.
He'll be presented at Estadio Ontime Butarque on Wednesday, August 12. Leganés need a goalkeeper they can rely on. Luca needs a club with a project. Whether either gets what they're after depends entirely on how that shaky Leganés defence shapes up this season.
