Egypt's goalkeeper, Mostafa Shobeir, revealed the behind-the-scenes details of the seconds leading up to the penalty kick he saved from Argentine star Lionel Messi in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
In an interview on the “Al-Hekaya” program on “MBC Egypt” with journalist Amr Adib, Shobeir said, when asked about the moments before the kick was executed and his saving it: “It was luck in the beginning and in the end, and not skill at all.”
The goalkeeper, who has been outstanding with the Egyptian national team, added: "Four penalty kicks were taken against me against Australia, but I saved Iran's penalty and Messi's penalty."
Mostafa Shobeir reveals the behind-the-scenes story of Messi's 30-second penalty kick in the Egypt-Argentina match. Watch the program #AlHekaya
for free on MBC. Airing Friday-Monday at 10:00 PM Cairo time on #MBCMASR . To watch the live stream: https://t.co/uwHwlsCISw pic.twitter.com/9pchtyxmc4
Shobeir confirmed that he studied Messi's stance and penalty kick technique, noting that the Argentine captain changed his execution style and did not wait for the goalkeeper's movement, reaching a point of no return during the kick. At that moment, Shobeir read the angle and successfully chose it.
Mostafa Shobeir (26 years old) revealed that he "did not think about anything" before taking the kick, pointing out that the pressure in penalty kicks is usually on the player, and stressed that if he had thought that Messi was the one who would take the kick, he might not have rushed towards the ball with enough speed, describing Messi as a "legend" and "the best in history."
