Not even a missed penalty and a two-goal deficit with just over 10 minutes to go were enough to shake Lionel Messi’s composure at the FIFA World Cup. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner found another gear late in the game, helping Argentina win 3-2 against Egypt in the round of 16. The hunger and the drive to show these levels, even when he doesn’t need to, are what impressed his former teammate.

Lionel Messi missed his penalty and he passed up on the chance to make it 1-1 after Egypt took a shock lead. Ziko made it 2-0 with just 23 minutes to go, and it looked like we were set for the biggest shock of the tournament so far. That’s when Messi took matters into his hands. He launched a delightful cross for Cristian Romero to head home in the 79th minute and scored a sumptuous volley in the 83rd minute to make it 2-2. Argentina capitalized on the momentum to get a late goal and won 3-2 as Messi burst into tears and was joyfully tossed into the air by his teammates after the win.

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic was asked his thoughts on CBS Sports Golazo, the Swedish international was marveled at what he was seeing.

“He became an animal, and nobody could catch him. He went on and went on. This is the one I saw, we used to see, and we’re still seeing. You can also see how emotional he is and how much it means to him,” Zlatan said.

“Remember, he already won this World Cup and a lot of trophies, including the Ballon d’Or and everything. I can sit here and give his CV, and it looks perfect, but he still wants it, and it’s impressive, look at that,” he concluded.

Zlatan, who shared the locker room with Messi during the 2009/10 season at Barcelona, was always full of admiration for him in the past. Having seen Messi as a teenager who dominated the world, he remembered how the Argentine great never really declined over the decades.

Despite being the most decorated soccer player of all time with 47 trophies, including eight Ballon d’Ors, a World Cup, and two Copa América titles, Messi is leading the charge at the 2026 World Cup.

Having entered his sixth World Cup campaign without a hat-trick, he immediately erased that blemish in the first game against Algeria. A historic brace against Austria made him the record goal scorer in World Cup history. By adding an assist in the Egypt game, he also became the record assist maker in World Cup history.

Messi is the benchmark for his Argentina squad, and his emotional outburst after the full-time whistle shows how crucial a second World Cup title is for him. He will take to the field again in the quarterfinals against either Switzerland or Colombia.