Algeria: Melvin Mastil recounts his shirt swap with Lionel Messi

In an interview with RTS Sport, Algerian international Melvin Mastil reminisced about Lionel Messi.

Mastil looked back on the passion of the fans, the connection with the crowd, the wild match against Austria that secured qualification for the round of 16 (a 3-3 draw on the night of June 27 to 28 in Kansas City during the final group stage match), and the dramatic late winner by Riyad Mahrez deep into stoppage time (90+3').

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"To be able to celebrate together, to see the Algerian people come out in force in the United States, then experience that draw against Austria... When we saw Riyad score and set us free in the 90th minute, it was something truly significant and emotionally powerful for us." he said.

The other highlight of Melvin Mastil's 2026 World Cup campaign was his shirt swap with Lionel Messi after the opening defeat to Argentina (3-0 on the night of June 16 to 17, also in Kansas City). "Messi has been my idol since I was a kid. I'm a Barça and Messi fan. I was lucky enough to get his shirt! I asked him for it, and very kindly he told me he'd give it to me afterwards. So we were able to swap shirts. It's truly one of my fondest memories from this World Cup." he recalled.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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