Alexi Lalas Finally Gets His Revenge on Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Rob is senior football editor at GiveMeSport, with over 15 years experience covering sport in various capacities since graduating from the University of Gloucestershire in 2008 with a degree in journalism.

A childhood obsession for all things football developed into a career writing about the beautiful game, initially producing content for clients including Luton Town Football Club and the PGMOL. His first big interviews were with Premier League referees Howard Webb and Michael Oliver in 2009.

He then spent four years producing written content for a betting website, mainly focusing on football, and was there to cover various games and tournaments including the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

Rob joined GiveMeSport in 2013 (initially as a sub-editor before becoming a senior writer and then senior editor in 2020) and has covered countless football matches and other sporting events, interviewed various high-profile figures including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch and Theo Walcott, and written well over 10,000 articles during that time.

Rob has played a key role in GiveMeSport's coverage of the World Cups in 2014, 2018 and 2022, plus Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, along with many Champions League finals.

While football is Rob's area of expertise, he has also covered a wide range of other sports during his time at GiveMeSport including boxing, tennis and darts, as well as the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

Never mind the drama on the pitch, one of the biggest talking points during the opening weeks of the 2026 World Cup has been the on-screen relationship between Alexi Lalas and his fellow FOX Sports pundits Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thierry Henry.

Lalas, who earned 96 caps for the United States between 1991-1998, has been accused of rubbing Zlatan and Henry up the wrong way during the opening stages of this summer’s showpiece international tournament.

The outspoken Lalas shocked both pundits - along with viewers - on day two of the World Cup by describing British presenter James Corden as a “full kit w***er”.

Days later, Henry was left wide-eyed as Zlatan put Lalas in his place following suggestions France were ‘arrogant’ during the first half of their 3-1 win over Senegal.

And a couple of days after that incident, Ibrahimovic replied “who?” when host Rebecca Lowe announced Lalas couldn’t be with them. The former Barcelona and Manchester United star then said to camera: “America, you are welcome”.

Opta's Supercomputer claims Lionel Messi’s Argentina have a stronger chance than England

However, the trio were reunited on Sunday ahead of the Group H clash between Spain and Saudi Arabia - and one humorous incident has gone viral on social media.

Zlatan turned to presenter Rebecca Lowe, who was wearing a black dress, and burned Lalas by saying: “Rebecca, you’re dressed up like you’re going to a funeral. Alexi is alive, don’t worry.”

But Lalas came back with a response that left Henry in stitches. The former defender said:

“Easy, big guy. You look like you should be welcoming people to Fantasy Island. Look at you.”

As the joke finally sank in, Henry turned to Zlatan and echoed “Fantasy Island” before clapping his hands and laughing. Lalas then said: “I got him to laugh! There we go.” Watch the viral clip below:

Fantasy Island is an old television series, aired in the USA during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It featured two main characters, Mr. Roarke and Tattoo, wearing white suits.

"Lalas cooked with that reference,” one person wrote on X (Twitter), while another commented: "Damn, Lalas was quick."

It seems Lalas may have won over some football fans with his quick-witted response to Zlatan.

The pundits watched on as Spain, one of the pre-tournament favourites, recorded an emphatic 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia at the Atlanta Stadium.

They then watched Belgium play out a goalless draw against Iran at the Los Angeles Stadium.

“The first half, I almost fell asleep,” Zlatan said about the Group G fixture, before adding: “Second half, I fell asleep.”