Legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic refused to hold Lionel Messi responsible for Inter Miami’s elimination from the Club World Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, considering the Flea to be playing for a “substandard” team by all standards.
The American club suffered a heavy defeat to PSG in the World Cup Round of 16, 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, bringing the curtain down on Messi’s participation in the world’s most prestigious competition.
The 4-0 defeat was the third-worst defeat Messi has suffered in his career, following the 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich with Barcelona in 2020 and the 6-1 defeat to Bolivia with Argentina in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
Ibrahimovic: Messi is playing with statues at Inter Miami
Ibrahimovic strongly defended Messi after he was blamed for Inter Miami’s exit, saying, “You want to blame Messi? You can when he plays alongside stars like Ronaldo, Mbappé, Haaland, and Zlatan. But now, no!”
He added, “This isn’t the Messi I know. He’s a real ghost lion, trapped in a circus. But as I said, if you put him on a real team, he’d burn the stadium down again, because Messi is still Messi.”
The Swede continued his strong defense of the Flea, “Don’t talk about this defeat as if it were Messi’s fault. Messi didn’t lose, Inter Miami did. Have you seen this team? Messi plays among statues, not teammates.”
He added, “Messi is still playing because he loves football, and because he can still do things that 99% of players can’t. But he’s surrounded by players who run as if they have bags of cement on their backs. There are no coaches, no stars, and no one who knows how to move without the ball.”
He concluded, “Messi wasn’t defeated against Paris Saint-Germain. Inter Miami was defeated, and football was defeated.”
🗣️ Zlatan Ibrahimović: Leo Messi didn’t lose, Inter Miami did! Messi is playing with statues, not teammates. He’s surrounded by players who run as if they’re carrying bags of cement! pic.twitter.com/41dob7iwC2
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) June 30, 2025
Messi’s Impact on Inter Miami
Before Messi’s arrival, Inter Miami had never won a title in its history. Just months after signing Messi, the team won the League Cup and qualified for the MLS playoffs for the first time in its history, competing for the title before being eliminated by Atlanta United.
In two years, Messi became Inter Miami’s all-time top scorer, scoring 50 goals in 61 appearances in all competitions.
This season, the 337-year-old has played 24 games with Inter Miami in all competitions, scoring 16 goals and assisting 6 others.
