"I hope Argentina wins the World Cup because of Messi" - Zlatan Ibrahimovic names who he would like to see as FIFA World Cup winners
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed that he would love to see Argentina win the FIFA World Cup because of Lionel Messi. Ibrahimovic, who shared a dressing room with the Argentine superstar at Barcelona for a brief period, has made no secret of his admiration for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Messi and Ibrahimovic joined forces at Barcelona in 2009 but never really shone alongside each other. Ibrahimovic was eventually loaned out to AC Milan in 2010 before joining the Rossoneri permanently a year later.
The Swedish superstar has always been vocal about his immense admiration for the Argentine. The 41-year-old has claimed that he would love to see Argentina win their third FIFA World Cup thanks to the presence of Lionel Messi.
He told 433:
“I hope Argentina wins the World Cup because of Messi.”
Argentina will be up against the Netherlands tonight (9 December) in their quarter-final clash at the Lusail Stadium.
Van Dijk on trying to defend against Messi 👀 https://t.co/NDkbm7U0df
At 35, this is surely going to be the final World cup for Lionel Messi, a reason many people want them to with the FIFA World Cup for the third time. La Albiceleste have done well to recover from their catastrophic start to the 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign, where they lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opener.
They have since defeated Mexico and Poland in the group stage and Australia in the Round of 16.
Messi has been the lynchpin of Lionel Scaloni's side, scoring three times and producing one assist so far in the tournament.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or has been on a great run of form for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as well, scoring 12 goals and producing 14 assists in 19 games across competitions this term.
Lionel Messi has sent a message to Argentina teammate who is not part of the FIFA World Cup squad
Argentina skipper Lionel Messi has shared a message for Giovani Lo Celso, who missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to a hamstring injury.
The midfielder, on loan with La Liga outfit Villareal from Tottenham Hotspur, played a key role for La Albiceleste when they won the 2021 Copa America.
Messi: “Thank you for calling us, We love you. You are not here with us, but we’re remembering you everyday, you and Gio (Lo Celso). I want to greet all the people who watched us, bye.” 👋❤️
Aguero: “Good luck on Friday boys, whatever happens, you are phenomenons, love you.” https://t.co/Vj7H7hiw8m
While speaking to his former Argentina teammate and close friend Sergio Aguero on his stream, Messi shared a heartfelt message for Lo Celso as well as Aguero. He said:
“Thank you for calling us, We love you. You are not here with us, but we’re remembering you every day, you and Gio (Lo Celso). I want to greet all the people who watched us, bye.”
Sergio Aguero had to announce his retirement from football last year after being diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia.