Can Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel stop Lionel Messi?
Gregor Kobel and Switzerland will be ready for the immense test of coming up against Argentina and Lionel Messi in their 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final on Sunday 12 July (kick-off 3am CEST).
The 39-year-old Argentine Magician is showing no signs of slowing down despite his age, as he sits joint-top of the scoring charts with Kylian Mbappé on eight goals in this tournament so far.
His late goal against Egypt in the round of 16 drew his side level with minutes to spare, before Enzo Fernandez went on to score a dramatic winner for Lionel Scaloni’s men.
Having played the full 120 minutes of their win over Cape Verde in the round of 32, Messi proved just how determined he is to guide his country to consecutive World Cup triumphs against the Pharaohs.
Up next for Messi & Co. are Switzerland, who beat Colombia on penalties to set up this quarter-final clash.
That shoot-out saw Dortmund’s Kobel make a brilliant save from Cucho Hernández’s spot-kick to help his side to a 4-3 win.
The Swiss shot-stopper has a history of shootout heroics too, saving from Farès Chaïbi to knock Eintracht Frankfurt out of the 2025/26 DFB Cup in the second round.
Two clean sheets in a row has also helped Kobel climb the FIFA power rankings to make himself the second-best-performing ‘keeper at the tournament.
The power rankings assign a value to players between 0-10 using the data collected during games. Goalkeepers are judged on how they perform in possession, as well as on how well they defend the goal.
When it comes to defending the goal, Kobel sits behind only Portugal’s Diogo Costa (8.89) with a score of 8.21.
His performances in between the sticks at the World Cup won’t come as a surprise to BVB and Bundesliga fans, who witnessed Kobel guide his backline to keeping 15 clean sheets in the league last season as a sturdy Black and Yellows finished in second.
His 92 saves in 2025/26 provided a solid foundation for Niko Kovač to forge the Bundesliga's best defensive record, with just 34 goals conceded over the campaign.
The 28-year-old said after the Colombia shootout win: "Saving that penalty was a massive moment. I had a huge amount of faith throughout the entire shootout, both in the lads and their ability to score penalties, and of course in my own abilities as well. I'm absolutely over the moon that it all worked out."
He added: "I don't think you can overstate what a huge achievement this is for us, for this team, for Switzerland. For such a small country to be among the top eight teams in the world in the biggest sport on the planet is unbelievable."
Messi and his Argentina team-mates will have to be at their very best to get the better of the Swiss save machine!
