Hamdi Fathy, the Egyptian national team player, confirmed that Lionel Messi dealt with great respect towards Mohamed Salah before the two teams faced off in the 2026 World Cup, while at the same time praising the levels shown by a number of the Pharaohs' players during the tournament.
Hamdi Fathy's statements
Hamdi Fathy said, in statements via "ON Sport" channel: "Everyone was surprised that Messi shook hands with Salah before the match, and at that moment we felt that Salah was a legend. Messi dealt with extreme respect, and everyone respected him because of this moment, and nothing happened between us and him after the match."
He added: "The Egyptian national team possesses something different from all other teams; we have distinguished capabilities, a technical staff of the highest level, and most importantly, we have a fighting spirit that no other team has. We were focusing on the smallest details, and the technical staff succeeded a long time ago in instilling an important idea within the team, which is not to fear any player or any team no matter how big its name is."
He continued: "We believed in our strength, and we prepared very well to face Argentina. Our goal was not just an honorable appearance or a good performance only; rather, we entered the match with the aim of achieving victory, which was evident in our attacking style and the chances we created throughout the match."
The Egyptian national team midfielder touched on the technical staff's plan to stop Lionel Messi's threat, saying: "Messi does not exert much physical effort on the pitch, but he is an extremely intelligent player and knows very well when and where to move. We had studied the Argentine national team well, and we knew that building attacks relies heavily on the center, so our focus was on marking Messi at all times."
He completed his statements by saying: "Captain Hossam Hassan stressed to me before the match the necessity of marking Messi, and we shared this task between me, Mohanad, and Marwan, and with the continued marking, Messi began changing his positions and moving to the left side in search of spaces that would help him appear and influence the match."
Hamdi Fathy: Zizo was a surprise to everyone
Hamdi Fathy, the Egyptian national team player, praised Zizo's quick adaptation to the team, saying: "Zizo integrated with the group quickly and surprised everyone; he is a big player, and I told him that he must always maintain this focus in order to present the best version of himself."
Hamdi Fathy also made sure to support his teammate Mohamed Hany, despite him scoring two own goals in Egypt's net during the tournament, explaining: "Mohamed Hany was one of the best players of the national team in the tournament, despite his bad luck in scoring two goals in our net. We talked to him a lot so that he wouldn't feel any pressure, because he delivered distinguished performances throughout the tournament."
He concluded his statements by praising goalkeeper Mustafa Shobier, saying: "Shobier is a very good goalkeeper, and he takes excellent care of himself. Since our days at Al Ahly, I saw the extent of his commitment and development, and therefore I expected him to deliver a great tournament in the World Cup."
