Zlatan Ibrahimovic has shown his support for one of Liverpool's transfer targets after he suffered a heartbreaking moment during the World Cup against Mohamed Salah's Egypt
10:37, 04 Jul 2026
Zlatan Ibrahimovic speaking on Fox Sports
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has shown his support for one Liverpool's transfer targets(Image: Fox Sports)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has sent a message of support to Liverpool transfer target Lucas Herrington after the Australian teenager’s heartbreaking penalty miss at the World Cup.
Herrington was one of two players to miss the target as Australia was knocked out by Mohamed Salah and Egypt, with the Pharaohs prevailing 4-2 in the shootout after being held to a 1-1 draw in the last-32.
While former Liverpool talisman Salah - who scored in the shootout - was left to celebrate an emotional first-ever knockout win at the World Cup for his country, a potential future Red was left to reflect on what could have been.
Herrington has been linked with a move to Anfield, with Liverpool reported to have sent scouts to watch the 18-year-old in action recently. The Colorado Rapids defender has also been the subject of a failed bid from Barcelona, with his stock rising after making his World Cup debut this year.
The teenager was making just his second appearance at the tournament as he started against Egypt, and had played the full 120 minutes before stepping up to take his country’s fourth spot-kick, only to see his effort hit the crossbar.
Herrington though has been praised for his courage by former AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star Ibrahimovic, who offered his support to the youngster as he spoke on Fox Sports.
Lucas Herrington of Australia during the 2026 World Cup match between Australia and Egypt at Dallas Stadium on July 3, 2026, in Dallas, United States. (Photo by Stefan Koops/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lucas Herrington was one of two players to miss a penalty for Australia against Egypt(Image: Getty Images)
“Penalty is like lottery,” Ibrahimovic said. “You score, you become a hero. You don’t score, sadly, you become zero.
“But I just want to reach out to Herrington. You’re 18 years old, you’re young. This is just the beginning of your career.
“You stepping up there, you show a lot of courage. Not everybody would do that. My friend, you’re the best. Don’t listen to the rest.”
Herrington was subsequently told about Ibrahimovic’s message after the game as he spoke to the Australian press.
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“I’m probably the first one to be knocking myself down and being hard on myself, so to hear that from a legend of the game means a lot,” Herrington said. “I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully another moment like that comes for me.”
Australia has faced some criticism after Herrington had to step up during the shootout, while some of his more established teammates watched on.
“It’s always easy to do that [question the decision] in hindsight,” Australia boss Tony Popovic said. “I’m sure you’d be saying something else if the young kid scored, you’d probably be sitting there saying how wonderful it is, that an 18-year-old took a penalty and scored.
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“He has played the last two games as an 18-year-old, so if I trust him to play in a game that we needed to get a result against Paraguay and a game that elimination was on the line, what’s the difference with the penalty?”