Egypt winger Mostafa Ziko has described Lionel Messi as the greatest footballer in history, while adding that, in his personal view, the Argentine comes only after Cristiano Ronaldo. Reflecting on Egypt’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Round-of-16 defeat to Argentina, Ziko also claimed he barely noticed Messi’s influence for much of the contest.
Argentina recovered from a two-goal deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 and book a place in the next round. The African side raced into a 2-0 advantage through Yasser Ibrahim and Ziko before Argentina mounted a late comeback with goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and a stoppage-time winner by Enzo Fernández.
The encounter was marked by contentious refereeing decisions. During the first half, Ziko appeared to have scored what would have been Egypt’s third goal, but VAR ruled it out because of a minor foul committed nearly 100 yards earlier in the move.
Egypt was later left frustrated after Mohamed Salah went down inside the penalty area without a spot-kick being awarded. In the aftermath of the defeat, the Egyptian Football Association lodged an official complaint with FIFA, alleging “double standards” and unfair treatment.
“For me, Messi is the greatest player in the history of football, but after Cristiano, because I love Ronaldo very much. So, I kind of see things through that lens," Ziko said in an interview.
“When I was on the pitch, I honestly didn’t feel Messi’s presence. After the goal he scored, he was amazing, but I swear for 80 minutes in the middle of the field, I didn’t feel him. For 80 minutes, I didn’t feel Messi. I didn’t feel like we were playing against Messi," he added.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored once during the tournament before Portugal's campaign ended with a Round-of-16 defeat to Spain.
Following Egypt’s elimination, several players and members of the coaching staff alleged that the officiating had been biased. Ziko went a step further, claiming the competition had been tilted in Argentina’s favour.
“The referee was not fair. The injustice was clear," a tearful Zico said after his team’s exit. “We did a good job in the early stages of the match. There’s been an unfairness right from the start of the match. A 2-0 lead isn’t enough to beat Argentina. It’s clear that this tournament has been fixed."
Also Read | CSK Part Ways With Head Coach Fleming After 18-Year Stint Following 'Honest' Discussion
