After a heavy 4–0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami bowed out of the FIFA Club World Cup — and with them, Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time.Global media quickly jumped on the narrative that the Argentine genius’s time has definitively passed. However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic — who once played alongside Messi at Barcelona — came to his defense. According to the Swedish legend, the problem lies not with Messi, but with the team around him.“Messi’s loss? No, no… Don’t talk like that, as if he’s the one to blame for the result. Inter Miami lost, not Leo. Have you seen the team he plays with? Messi’s surrounded by statues, not teammates! If he were in a real team — in Manchester, in Paris — you’d see the real lion,” Ibrahimovic declared.🚨 Zlatan Ibrahimovic: “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!”If he were in a real team, in any big team, you’d see the real lion. Messi plays only because… pic.twitter.com/jOeFCiEfJk— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) June 29, 2025 Zlatan continued defending Lionel: “Messi still plays because he loves football, and he can still do things 99 percent of players can’t. But he’s surrounded by guys who run like they have bags of cement tied to their feet.”The Swede also criticized Inter Miami’s coaching staff — and MLS as a whole.“There are no real coaches there, no stars, not even players who understand how to move off the ball. And you blame Messi? When he plays alongside Ronaldo, Mbappé, Haaland, Zlatan — then you can criticize him. But for this? No, no, and no.”Dembélé didn’t just get Messi’s shirt, he got the shorts and boots too 🤩 pic.twitter.com/zLe4i3NVV9— 433 (@433) June 29, 2025 It’s been a while since we’ve seen Zlatan defend someone so fiercely…“Be careful — if you give Lionel a proper team, he’ll set the stadium on fire again. Because Messi is Messi. But today? This wasn’t his loss — it was Inter Miami’s, and football’s,” Zlatan Ibrahimovic concluded.FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 20251/8 finalsSaturdayPalmeiras – Botafogo 1-0 AET (0-0)/Paulinho 10/Benfica – Chelsea 1-4 AET (1-1)/Di Maria 90+5 pen – James 64, Nkunku 108, Neto 114, Dewsbury-Hall 117/SundayPSG – Inter Miami (4-0)/Neves 6,39, Aviles 44 og, Hakimi 45+3/Flamengo – Bayern 2-4 (1-3)/Gerson 33, Jorginho 55 pen – Pulgar 6 (og), Kane 9, 73, Goretzka 41/Monday19.00: (1.80) Inter (3.50) Fluminense (4.70)Tuesday04.00: (1.35) Manchester City (5.00) Al-Hilal (9.00)22.00: (1.67) Real Madrid (3.70) Juventus (5.50)Wednesday04.00: (1.80) Dortmund (3.60) Monterrey (4.60)***odds are subject to change***
