Ibrahimović hails Messi after Argentina comeback

Lionel Messi continues to amaze the football world, with his outstanding performance in Argentina's dramatic comeback victory over Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup earning praise from Zlatan Ibrahimović.

The reigning world champions were on the brink of elimination after falling 2-0 behind in their Round of 16 clash, but Messi inspired a remarkable turnaround. The Argentine captain scored the equalizer to make it 2-2 before Enzo Fernández found the winner in stoppage time, sealing a dramatic 3-2 victory and a place in the quarterfinals for Argentina, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Speaking to Fox Sports, Ibrahimović said he was deeply impressed by Messi's display.

"Messi became an animal and nobody could stop him. He just kept going, kept going. That's the Messi I've seen before, the one we've become used to and the one we're still seeing," Zlatan said.

The Swedish striker added that despite Messi having already won everything in football, his hunger for success remains unchanged.

"You can still see emotionally how much this means to him. Remember, he has already won the World Cup. He has won so many trophies, the Ballon d'Or, everything. I could sit here and read out his résumé, and it would be perfect. But he still wants more, and that's what is impressive," Ibrahimović added.

Following the victory, Messi leads the scoring chart at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with eight goals, one ahead of his closest challengers, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

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