Johannesson asks Messi to bring 23 shirts for WC game

CAIRO – 9 December 2017: Iceland defender Diego Johannesson expects that the whole Iceland squad will ask for Lionel Messi’s jersey after their game in the World Cup. Iceland plays in Group D against Croatia, Nigeria and Argentina.

“Obviously all of our players will want Messi's shirt, and I'm no exception. He'll of course give it to whoever asks him first, so I would tell Messi to prepare 23 shirts for all of those in the squad who play and also those who don't," Johannesson told Marca on Friday.

Johannesson, born in Spain to an Icelandic father and Spanish mother, decided in 2014 to represent Iceland’s national team.

Johannesson trusts his team’s ability to compete with the big teams in the tournament. He said, “It's a little scary to go up against Messi, given that he's the best in the world, but we can beat anybody and we will try to do that. It was seen at Euro 2016 that our success isn't a fluke."

Iceland was the underdog in the UEFA EURO 2016, but they reached the quarter-finals and defeated England in round 16.

Iceland will play in the World Cup for the first time in 2018, and their first game will be against Argentina.