Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko has made headlines again, in the wake of his country's dramatic exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026, this time with candid remarks about football icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ziko was one of Egypt's most outstanding performers in the tournament, scoring two goals and providing an assist in five matches as the Pharaohs enjoyed one of their strongest World Cup campaigns in recent times. But their dream run came to a heartbreaking end in the Round of 16, when Argentinian champions Argentina came back from two goals down to win 3-2.
The 29-year-old was a key figure in that game and was crucial in that intense encounter where he scored Egypt’s second goal after a previous strike was ruled out on a foul in the build-up. Despite the disappointment of elimination, Ziko’s comments after the tournament captivated the media and football fans all over the world.
Ziko admitted in an interview that while he believes Lionel Messi is one of football's greatest ever players, his real hero has always been Cristiano Ronaldo.
"Messi is the greatest player in football, but after Cristiano, because I love Cristiano so much," Ziko said.
He also said that sharing the pitch with the Argentine legend did not affect his confidence during the match.
"I didn't even feel Messi's presence on the field," he said.
The comments are likely to fuel the never-ending debate between Messi and Ronaldo fans, with Ziko openly expressing his admiration for the Portuguese superstar despite acknowledging Messi's greatness.
The Egypt international had already caused controversy after the defeat to Argentina when he criticized the officiating. Ziko was emotional after the final whistle and claimed that the referee’s decisions affected the outcome of the match.
"No fair, no fair, referee, no fair. Injustice, clear and obvious injustice," he told broadcasters after the game.
He also claimed that Egypt had been denied a fair chance of defeating the reigning world champions, even going so far as to say that “the tournament is fixed."
Ziko later apologized to Egyptian fans and expressed disappointment that the team could not reward the passionate support of the nation with a historic victory.
"We wanted to make them happy today. We couldn’t do that. But I swear it was out of our hands. It is in the referee’s hands. The tournament is fixed, it is obvious anyway,” he said.
Ziko's accusations of refereeing have not been proven, but his passionate comments and his latest remarks about the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry have once again catapulted him back to the stage of football's most heated debate. That said, one thing is clear - Mostafa Ziko has emerged as one of Egypt’s brightest stars in the FIFA World Cup 2026 for his performances on the field and his willingness to speak his mind.
