The LA Galaxy striker, 37, praised the bravery of the children and hailed them as the “best team in the world” as he gatecrashed The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The group, who play for Wild Boars, were headline news after they became trapped underground in northern Thailand on June 23.
Two British divers found the coach and players alive and a daring rescue mission was launched to save them.
Finally they emerged with rescuers on July 10 and have today spoken about their traumatic near-death experience with the American TV star Ellen.
The boys revealed how prayer and meditation helped them to stay calm while they were trapped during a heart-rendering interview.
But the Swedish hitman was on hand to raise a smile and surprise the group just moments after they had named him as their idol when Ellen called for the veteran to “come out” from behind the stage.
Ibrahimovic then emerged to leave the kids gobsmacked before they began to clap and smile as he said: “I thought that that was brave, but this team is braver than me.
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“They showed their collective team work and had patience… believing in other hands also. This is probably the best team in the world.”
The boys then spoke of their dreams to get a good education before hoping to become professional footballers.
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