Zlatan Ibrahimovic calls Lionel Messi a 'GHOST' - The Zambian Observer
Former Barcelona and AC Milan striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has labeled Inter Miami club a ‘circus’ full of ‘statues’ while taking a shot at Lionel Messi after their Club World Cup exit
Ibrahimovic, an ex-teammate of Messi at Barcelona, was reacting to Inter Miami’s embarrassing Club World Cup last-16 thrashing to PSG.
Inter Miami and Messi lost 4-0 to his former club Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s round of 16.
Ibrahimovic, who played with Messi at Barcelona was unimpressed by Miami, which conceded four first-half goals against the Champions League winners.
“This isn’t the Messi I know,” he said. “If you put him in a real team, he’d go all-out. There are no coaches, no stars, not even players who understand how to move without the ball. If he were on a real team, any great team, you’d see the real lion.
“Messi plays alone because he loves the game, because he can still do what 99% of players can’t. But this isn’t the Messi I know,” he said.
‘But he’s surrounded by those who run as if they were carrying bags of cement! There are no coaches, no stars, not even players who understand how to move without the ball!’
The Inter Miami side has some of the former best players in European football including Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets , and Jordi Alba.
According to Ibrahimovic, Messi has become a ‘big ghost who plays in a circus’ during his time at the Herons, unable to produce his maximum level of performance in a squad that fails to match the eight-time Ballon d’Or winners’ world class credentials.