Ibrahimovic slams Messi's teammates, critics after Club World Cup exit, trolling from Ronaldo fans: 'Messi plays with statues'

Former Lionel Messi teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic has come out in support of the Inter Miami footballer after the 2022 World Cup winner was criticised for his team’s exit from the FIFA Club World Cup. Messi’s Miami were eliminated from the home tournament after they lost to Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 on Sunday.

More than the defeat, the margin of the loss resulted in severe criticism of Messi, who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time. The fans of Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s biggest competitor in their era, were most brutal on the Argentine footballer as they accused him of not being able to carry a team just on his own.

‘Messi plays with statues, not teammates’

But Ibrahimovic thinks otherwise. The former Barcelona and Manchester United striker blasted Messi’s teammates for the team’s defeat, calling them “statues, not teammates.”

“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,” Ibrahimovic told Foot Mercato.

“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.”

Ibrahimovic also criticised Messi’s critics and said that in a better team, the legendary forward would “burn down the stadium.”

“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.

“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.”