Egypt Star Makes Major Lionel Messi Confession After Claiming Argentina's World Cup Was Fixed

Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko has made a fresh statement following his country's exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026, revealing that while he considers Lionel Messi one of football's greatest players, his biggest inspiration remains Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The 29-year-old, who emerged as one of Egypt's standout performers during the tournament, also insisted that he was not overawed by sharing the pitch with the Argentina captain during their dramatic knockout encounter.

Ziko enjoyed an impressive World Cup campaign, scoring two goals and providing one assist in five appearances for Egypt. One of his goals came in a thrilling match against defending champions Argentina, who staged a comeback from two goals down to secure a 3-2 victory over the seven-time African champions. The Egyptian forward came close to adding another goal during the contest, but an earlier strike was disallowed after the referee ruled a foul in the build-up.

Reflecting on the experience of facing Argentina, Ziko said Messi's presence on the field did not affect his performance despite the Argentine's global reputation. At the same time, he expressed his admiration for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner while making it clear that Ronaldo has always been his footballing idol. "Messi is the greatest player in football, but after Cristiano, because I love Cristiano so much," Ziko said. He further added, "I didn't even feel Messi's presence on the field." His comments quickly drew attention across the football community, given the long-running debate over Messi and Ronaldo's places among the greatest players in the history of the sport.

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Ziko's latest remarks come days after his emotional reaction following Egypt's defeat to Argentina. Speaking immediately after the match, he strongly criticised the officiating, alleging that his side had been treated unfairly throughout the contest. The forward claimed the referee's decisions prevented Egypt from securing what would have been one of the biggest victories in the nation's football history. Addressing broadcasters after the match, Ziko said, "No fair, no fair, referee, no fair. Injustice, clear and obvious injustice. He is wasting the efforts of an entire country.

From the start of the match, he was against us. It is not allowed for us to leave as 2-0 winners against Argentina. The tournament is fixed. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs." He later apologised to supporters, saying the team had wanted to make the nation proud but believed events were beyond their control. Ziko also repeated his claim that the tournament was "fixed," though he did not provide evidence to support the allegation. Tournament organisers have not publicly responded to his remarks, and there is no verified evidence supporting claims that the competition or the match was manipulated.

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