"Lionel Messi Playing With Statues, Not Teammates": Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Lionel Messi's PSG reunion in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 clash with Inter Miami turned out to be a nightmare. The UEFA Champions League winners taught the MLS side a big lesson on how to play football, securing a 4-0 win to qualify for the quarter-finals. Messi himself looked on song, orchestrating passes and building moves for his team, but Inter Miami, overall, just weren't a match for PSG. Be it attack of defence, the MLS club could hardly trouble the men from Paris.

The result of the match saw Messi being trolled, with many fans saying that the Argentine great is well past his prime. However, Messi's former Barcelona teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic wasn't in agreement. In a chat with Foot Mercato, Ibrahimovic tore into Messi's Inter Miami teammates, saying the PSG match made him feel like the 8-time Ballon d'Or winner was playing with statues and not humans.

"Messi's defeat? No, no, don't talk about the defeat as if it were his fault! Messi didn't lose, Inter Miami did! Have you seen the team? Messi plays with statues, not teammates! If he was in a real team, in Paris, Manchester, in any of the big teams, you'd have seen the real lion.

"Messi only plays because he loves the game, because he can still do what 99% of players can't! But he's surrounded by those who run around like they're carrying bags of cement!

Zlatan also criticised those questioning Messi, saying the standard of players he was with and the level of the league he features is extremely low.

"There are no coaches, no stars, not even players who understand how to move without the ball! You want to blame Messi? When he plays with Ronaldo, with Mbappé, with Haaland, with Zlatan. Then you can talk! But today? No, no, no, no, no.

The former Sweden International feels Messi still has what it takes to perform at the top level, but he needs to be in a better team.

"But be careful, if you give him a real team, he'll burn down the stadium again! Because, quite simply. Messi is still Messi, but today? It's not his defeat, it's the defeat of Inter Miami and of football."

Trending News