Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka has declared that his team is eager to cause a significant upset against Argentina. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
Relishing the dream privilege of facing Lionel Messi in a competitive match, Xhaka emphasised that the pressure ahead will turn into extra motivation to keep going as far as possible in the tournament.
The midfielder added that he and his teammates are hungrier than ever to make a statement.
His words, “When you’re this close, the hunger is even greater. It’s a very good kind of pressure we have now – we want to keep going.
It must be a great privilege for us to be able to play in the Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo era. We haven’t been able to analyse Argentina in depth yet, but we will begin a very thorough analysis tomorrow.”
Embolo added, “Egypt showed what’s possible. After 70 minutes, everyone would probably have bet on Egypt. But Argentina never gives up, that’s what makes them special. And Argentina has the best player of all time, which makes the match a bit more special. Respect? Yes, we have that. But we know we can hurt any opponent. Including them – we’re hungry.”
Lionel Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards and a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 he was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and the UEFA Champions League four times.
With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17).
He also has the most international goals by a South American male (103). Messi has scored over 800 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).
