Ibrahimović and Henry set aside GOAT debate to simply savour Messi at World Cup 2026

Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thierry Henry have grown weary of debating where Lionel Messi sits in football’s all-time hierarchy — and as Argentina kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, both men made clear they would rather watch than argue.

“For me, that has to stop,” Henry said ahead of the match. “We’re going to see Cristiano tomorrow. I think we should not separate greats. We should celebrate them.”

Ibrahimović echoed the sentiment, framing Messi’s gifts as something beyond conventional comparison. “I don’t believe we will get another Messi, because he’s special,” he said. “He’s natural. It’s like the game was built for him. Everything he touches becomes gold. And he has a team that is ready to die for him. Him winning another World Cup will not change his status as the greatest. It’s just another trophy in the trophy room.”

The pair speak from rare personal experience. Ibrahimović, Henry and Messi shared a dressing room at FC Barcelona during the 2009-10 season — a single campaign that nonetheless left a lasting impression on both Europeans.

“We enjoy him,” Ibrahimović added. “We played with him. And as long as he plays, we should enjoy him.”

Messi arrives at this tournament as the reigning world champion and one of its defining figures across two decades. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he scored seven goals and contributed three assists, claimed the Golden Boot, and netted twice in the final as Argentina defeated France. He remains Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and assist provider.

His presence in the United States, Canada and Mexico at all was not guaranteed. Many expected him to retire from international football after lifting the trophy in 2022, making his return to the tournament feel, as Ibrahimović suggested, like a bonus for the sport rather than a necessity for his legacy.

Argentina enter as defending champions with Messi still at the centre of everything they do — a fact that, for two of his former teammates at least, is reason enough to set the rankings aside and simply watch.