Algeria: Adem Zorgane, when will we see the decisive moment?

Sep 24, 2026

At 26 and a half years old, he has only 24 caps and one appearance in a final tournament. He came on as a substitute in the second half against Equatorial Guinea during his third group match at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025.

His journey is quite comparable to that of his teammate Hicham Boudaoui (27 years old), although the latter, despite his 36 caps, has already participated in two Africa Cup of Nations and one World Cup, starting in two of those competitions.

Essential in youth teams from U17 to the senior team, Zorgane received his first call-up to the senior team from Djamel Belmadi in November 2019, when he was still under 20 and playing for Paradou AC.

Since then, he has come a long way, accumulating nearly 300 professional matches. He has played 180 matches in the Belgian top division, one campaign in the Champions League, one title and one cup won with Union Royale Saint-Gilloise, but in the national team, he remains an intermittent player.

In 2019, Guedioura, Feghouli, and Bennacer were in the starting eleven, and his friend Boudaoui had surpassed him in the squad, but despite the departure of the veterans, he will be overtaken by a young newcomer, Ramiz Zerrouki, who will take his place.

Zorgane made his first start against Djibouti in 2021 and it went well, as he provided an assist for Saïd Benrahma. He was then tested in the holding midfielder role against Ghana in January 2020, but ended up being a substitute at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, with Djamel Belmadi preferring Belkebla and Bendebka.

While he avoided the disaster of elimination from the 2022 World Cup, he did not seize his chance when the coach reintroduced him starting in June. He will not be called up for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

It wasn't until September 2024 that Petkovic called him up, and against Liberia, he had his first standout match, before falling back into his old habits.

Not recalled until October 2025 due to Zerrouki's injury, he observes that in the meantime another player is emerging, Himad Abdelli. Although they are the same age, Abdelli only joined the national team in 2023, yet he is favored and will participate in the last CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025...

Under the guidance of the Hemdani - Yahia duo, he could have a new opportunity with Zerrouki's absence and Bennacer's decline from top form. Boudaoui, often injured, is also absent.

In the current squad, he will be in competition with Abdelli, but it is also likely that they will play together depending on the tactical setup. The absence of Nabil Bentaleb due to injury could also be an opportunity, but the arrival of the young and dynamic Adil Bourabaa could again prove problematic for Zorgane...

DZfoot