'Can retire after playing against Messi': Switzerland star's post goes viral ahead of Argentina quarterfinal clash

Switzerland midfielder Zeki Amdouni is already looking forward to facing Lionel Messi after his side reached the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals, joking on social media that he could "quit football" after getting the chance to play against the Argentina captain.Switzerland booked their place in the last eight after beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties in Vancouver on Tuesday. The match ended 0-0 after extra time before Switzerland held their nerve in the shootout.Soon after the win, Amdouni shared a Snapchat post expressing his excitement about facing Messi."Jvais Jouer Contre Messi, Wih C'est bon j'peux arreter le foot," he wrote, roughly translating to: "I'm going to play against Messi."

"Yeah, that's it, I can retire from football."

Switzerland have reached the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals for the fourth time in their history across 13 World Cup appearances. After exiting in the round of 16 in four tournaments this century, including the previous three editions, they have now progressed to the quarter-finals for the first time since the 1954 World Cup.The win over Colombia also marked the first time Switzerland have won multiple knockout matches in a single FIFA World Cup.

The round-of-16 contest remained goalless through normal time and extra time before penalties decided the winner.Colombia suffered two costly misses in the shootout. Davinson Sanchez hit the crossbar with his penalty, while Cucho Hernandez saw his effort saved by the goalkeeper. Ruben Vargas then converted the winning spot-kick to send Switzerland into the quarter-finals.Switzerland achieved the result without rising star Johan Manzambi, who missed the match because of a knee injury sustained during training.They will now face defending champions Argentina in the quarter-finals on July 12 (IST) in Kansas City.Argentina booked their place after coming from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2. Goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez in the final 13 minutes completed the comeback and set up the last-eight meeting with Switzerland.