Zlatan Ibrahimović has praised Lionel Messi following Argentina’s 3:2 dramatic victory over Egypt, highlighting the relentless hunger and emotion Messi continues to show despite already achieving everything in world football.
Speaking to the media, Ibrahimović said Messi’s performance reflected the version of him the world has admired for years:
He became an animal and nobody could catch him, he just went on and on, and this is the one we are used to seeing and are still seeing.
We can also see how emotional he is, how much it means to him. Remember, he already won a World Cup. He already won a lot of trophies, a lot of Ballon d’Ors, FIFA Player of the Year, everything. But he still wants it, and that’s impressive.
Softfootball understands Messi won Man of the Match, even though he missed a penalty earlier in the game. He later equalised 2–2 for Argentina in the 83rd minute, keeping his team alive before Enzo Fernández scored in the 90+3 minute to give Argentina the lead and secure a crucial victory.
