Argentina's Special Advantage In World Cup Bid

United Arab Emirates, Dubai, December 13 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic told reporters in Dubai on Monday that he thinks everything is set up for Lionel Messi to eventually win the World Cup trophy. Messi, who is competing in a record-tying sixth World Cup, will be aiming to advance to his second career final when Argentina plays Croatia in the round of 16 on Tuesday.

With the likes of Brazil, Portugal, Germany, and Spain all eliminated in Qatar, the Argentines looked poised to win football's most coveted championship for the first time since 1986. The 35-year-old Messi is likely playing his final World Cup. Ibrahimovic praised the other three semi-finalists in Doha but insisted that he only sees one team winning the championship as he continues to rehab his knee among his AC Milan teammates for a winter training camp in Dubai.

"I believe the winner has already been determined, and you know who I refer to. Ibrahimovic, who played for Sweden in two World Cups in 2002 and 2006, predicted that Messi will win the trophy. The Atlas Lions will play the defending champions on Wednesday, and Argentina and unexpected semifinalists Morocco will try to prevent France and Croatia from setting up a rematch of the title-deciding encounter from Russia 2018.

Despite describing France and Croatia as "strong nations," Ibrahimovic thinks Messi will ultimately prevail. Ibrahimovic responded when asked about Morocco, the first African or Arab team to ever get to the World Cup final four: "I don't believe it's a surprise because I knew they were fantastic before the World Cup. The World Cup is a place where anything may happen, of course.

"Maybe a little astonished that they made it to the semi-final, but keep in mind that it's a solid squad from a decent country. And I believe that individuals prefer these surprises because they want them to occur so they can experience an increase in adrenaline. By defeating Spain and Portugal back-to-back, the Moroccans punched their ticket to a historic semifinal. Following Portugal's elimination, images of a weeping Cristiano Ronaldo making his way to the dressing room have been replayed on TV screens all over the world, signalling a heartbreaking conclusion to the 37-year-pursuit old's of the World Cup title.

When prompted to address Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic responded, "I don't think anything I can say is essential. Everyone wants to win the World Cup, but not everyone succeeds in doing so. Everyone is trying, and while becoming emotional if you lose is obvious, getting emotional after winning is also obvious.

Ibrahimovic continued, saying it was difficult for him to comment because the true circumstances surrounding Ronaldo's abrupt departure from Manchester United would never be made public. "When things happen, I believe we will never know the real reason for his departure from United. Ibrahimovic, who played for Manchester United from 2016 to 2018, stated, "They say what they want to say, he says what he needs to say to defend himself, and then you have the coach who says these things to protect himself.

Then the club says things; nonetheless, I will explain what actually transpired. But each of us is unique. Everyone is concerned about how they appear. Being oneself is the ideal appearance in my opinion. We won't know the full tale, my friend.