Zlatan Ibrahimovic criticized Argentine players for their behavior during the World Cup in Qatar

Zlatan Ibrahimovic slammed Argentina players for their behavior during World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Argentina won the World Cup for the third time in its history, 36 years after Diego Maradona the latter inspired the South American nation to glory in Mexico.

Lionel Messi was the star of the tournament, scoring seven goals and creating a series of magical moments on the way to realizing his lifelong dream of becoming world champion.

However, Argentina have been criticized from time to time by fans and pundits during the tournament for their antics.

In the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, Argentine players were punished for rubbing salt in the opponent’s wounds after winning the penalty shoot-out.

Read more: World Cup: Footage shows why Argentina players taunted Dutch players after penalties

That same night Messi and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez both had a conversation with veteran Dutch coach Louis van Gaal. Messi also had a verbal altercation with the striker Wut Weghorstwho recently subscribed to Manchester United.

Martinez then went out of his way to set up the French players in the World Cup final shootout and celebrated the Golden Glove award in rather unexpected style.

LUSAIL, QATAR – DEC 18: Emiliano Martinez of Argentina poses for a photo with the adidas Golden Glove trophy during the awards ceremony after the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail city, Qatar . (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

What did Zlatan say about Argentine players?

From afar, Zlatan, who himself is no stranger to contradictions, watched what was happening.

While the Swedish striker has praised Messi for rather solidifying his status as the greatest footballer of all time, he believes teammates have shown they won’t win anything else.

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 22: Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic watches from the bench before Serie A match between AC Milan and Monza at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on October 22, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“Messi is considered the best player in history, I was sure that he would win. What will happen is [Kylian] Mbappe will win the World Cup anyway,” Ibrahimovic told France Inter. Target.

“I’m not worried about him. I’m worried about the others in Argentina because they won’t win anything else.

“Messi has won everything and he will be remembered, but we cannot respect the rest who behaved badly.

“It comes from me as a top pro, it’s a sign that you will win once but won’t win again. That’s not how you win.”

Watch an excerpt from the interview here:

“ESTOY PREOCUPADO POR LOS DEMÁS JUGADORES DE ARGENTINA, PORQUE ELLOS NO VAN A GANAR NADA MÁS. EL RESTO SE PORTÓ MAL Y ESO NO SE PUEDE RESPETAR”, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s El Manager in la Hora de Hablar Sobre la Consagracion de la Seleción-Argentina en El Mundial.

¿Que opinas? pic.twitter.com/IQjoEBw2n3

— Sports Center (@SC_ESPN) January 25, 2023

Damn comments from Ibrahimovic, who obviously feels that the Argentines didn’t cover themselves with glory during the tournament.

Messi was expected to announce his international retirement after the World Cup in Qatar, but there are already rumors that the 35-year-old could stay until at least the 2024 America’s Cup.

Leo Messi plans to continue playing for Argentina until at least the 2024 Copa América. To date, Leo does not rule out that he will fight until the 2026 World Cup. In his opinion, the priority will be to remain in the top club in Europe. which clearly plays in favor of PSG. 🇦🇷🏆[@lequipe] pic.twitter.com/K6QdjdhDYm

— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) January 25, 2023