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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed that Lionel Messi would have done better if he had better teammates at Inter Miami. He highlighted that his teammates are not running around on the pitch and are playing like statues.
Speaking to French media after PSG knocked out Inter Miami at the FIFA Club World Cup, Ibrahimovic insisted that Messi was still capable of delivering on the big stage and just needed some help. He added that the Argentine continues to play because he loves the game and is still better than most of the players in the world.
He said via AlbicelesteTalk:
"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 he loves the game, because he can still do what 99% of players cannot!"
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"There are no coaches, no stars, not even players who understand how to move without the ball! This is not the Messi I know, if you put him in a real team, he’ll still set the stadium on fire!”
Lionel Messi played the whole match as Inter Miami lost 4-0 to PSG. The Argentine created chances and tried to score until the end of the match, but they failed to get past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has always insisted that Lionel Messi is 'one of a kind'
Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke to ESPN in 2016 and heaped praise on Lionel Messi. He claimed that the Argentine was unique and does things that can only be seen on the PlayStation. He said:
"I think Messi is one of a kind. I don't know if we will see another player do the things that he does because he has his style and to become that player, I don't think it's possible. I had the luck to see him every day, I said before, it's like playing PlayStation: You give the ball to the guy and you start to go through every player and that's who Messi is."
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played 42 matches with Lionel Messi at Barcelona. The two combined for 10 goals, with six of those goals scored by the Argentine.
