Why Lunin won't play for Ukraine: Spaniards reveal real reason
Photo: Andrii Lunin will miss the upcoming matches of the “Blue and Yellow” (Getty Images)
Real Madrid goalkeeper Andrii Lunin has left the Ukrainian national team early and will not be able to help the team in the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. Spanish AS reports on the reasons.
What happened to goalkeeper
Spanish media report that 26-year-old Lunin felt pain in his lower back during warm-ups before a La Liga match against Mallorca. He did not have time to fully recover, so the discomfort was also present during Ukraine's national team training sessions.
After consulting with medical staff, the coaching staff of the Ukrainian team decided not to risk the player's health and sent him back to his club for recovery.
As a result, Lunin will not play in the upcoming national team matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against France (September 5) and Azerbaijan (September 9). Instead. He will focus on rehabilitation in Madrid.
Candidates for goalkeeper position
The main goalkeeper for the national team in the upcoming matches will be Anatolii Trubin from Portuguese club Benfica.
Ukraine coach Serhii Rebrov also has Dmytro Riznyk from Shakhtar Donetsk and Heorhii Bushchan from Saudi Arabia's Al-Shabab at his disposal. Bushchan was urgently called up to the national team due to Lunin's injury.
Real Madrid expects Lunin to be fully ready for the La Liga match against Real Sociedad on September 13 in San Sebastián.
The Ukrainian goalkeeper has not yet played in any official matches this season.
Earlier, we reported how Ukrainian stars are preparing for the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
