Legendary Swedish forward, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has come to the defense of Lionel Messi after Inter Miami’s embarrassing 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, lashing out at the quality of players surrounding the Argentine icon.
The former Barcelona and PSG striker criticized Inter Miami’s squad for failing to support Messi during the one-sided encounter that saw the French giants cruise into the quarter-finals of the competition.
All four goals were netted in the first half, leaving Messi and his team with no response.
PSG’s dominant performance set up a quarter-final clash with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, who earlier defeated Flamengo 4-2.
Despite the scoreline, Messi was praised for trying to drive his team forward, dictating play and stringing passes together.
However, his efforts were dwarfed by a lackluster performance from his teammates, a fact Ibrahimovic made no effort to soften.
“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, also a former PSG star, 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!”
Following the heavy defeat, some fans took to social media to suggest Messi was past his prime.
But Ibrahimovic was quick to push back, not just on the criticism, but on the overall quality of MLS.
“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.”
Ibrahimovic believes Messi still has what it takes to shine at the highest level, but needs a better team around him.
He added, “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.”