Lionel Messi Leaves Zlatan Ibrahimovic In Awe. Ex-Teammate’s “He Became An Animal” Remark Viral

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi continues to defy age, producing one of the finest performances of his career as Argentina came from two goals down to stun Egypt 3-2 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash in Atlanta. Messi set up Cristian Romero‘s goal to spark Argentina’s comeback before finding the net himself less than five minutes later to level the scores and set up a nervy finish. However, Argentina breathed a sigh of relief in stoppage time when Enzo Fernandez headed home Lautaro Martinez‘s cross to complete a remarkable turnaround and seal their place in the quarter-finals.

Former Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic was full of praise for Lionel Messi, saying the 39-year-old channeled his inner beast to guide the defending champions when all hope seemed lost.

“Messi became an animal and nobody could catch him. He just went on, went on and this is the one I saw, the one we’re used to seeing and that we are still seeing,” Zlatan said on Fox Sports.

Zlatan, a former Barcelona teammate of the Argentine forward, also went to explain how this World Cup means the world to Messi, despite having already lifted the trophy four years back in Qatar, who was seen crying in the end after the final whistle.

“You can still see also emotionally how much it means for him. Remember that he’s already won this World Cup. He already won a lot of trophies, the Ballon d’Or, everything. I can sit here and give his CV and it looks perfect. But he still wants it and that is impressive. Look at that,” he added.

Messi’s goal was his eighth of this year’s World Cup and moved him to the top of a tight Golden Boot race. 

It also extended his scoring streak to a record nine consecutive World Cup matches dating back to Argentina’s title run in 2022. Tuesday’s goal was his 13th in that nine-game span.

(With AP Inputs)

Featured Video Of The Day

Delhi vs Mumbai IPL 2026: Fans Flood Arun Jaitley Stadium for High-Voltage Clash