It’s been over a month since Lionel Messi and Argentina lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup after defeating France in penalty kicks (4-2). The 35-year-old scored a brace but was outperformed by Kylian Mbappe, who had a hat trick.
Nonetheless, Messi’s supporting cast stepped up to help the veteran during the penalty kicks. While Argentina celebrated in their glory, some on the squad took aim at Mbappe, mainly Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano, which didn’t sit well with AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
In an interview with France Info, the former Paris Saint-Germain striker called out those taunting Mbappe with their celebrations. Additionally, he believes another World Cup victory is in store for the France international.
“If you want this World Cup to be remembered for the rest of history, who was to win? Messi had to win,” Ibrahimovic said. “Messi is considered the best player in history; I was sure he was going to win. What will happen is that Mbappe will win another World Cup. I’m not worried about him.
“I’m worried about the others in Argentina because Messi will be remembered, but the others who behaved badly, we cannot respect that. For me, speaking as a top professional player, it’s a sign that you will win once, but you won’t win again. You don’t win like that.”
"Messi on se souviendra de lui, mais les autres…"
Pour @Ibra_official, les Argentins "se sont mal comportés" après leur victoire à la Coupe du monde, face à la France. "Ils ont gagné une fois, mais ils ne gagneront plus. Parce qu'on ne gagne pas comme ça." #le7930inter pic.twitter.com/gNdagWNmPP
— France Inter (@franceinter) January 25, 2023
At 24, Mbappe will be 27 when the ball gets rolling at the 2026 World Cup and 31 when the tournament occurs in 2030. As a result, he has two more shots at winning the trophy again while still in his prime years as a footballer.
