BREAKING: Lionel Messi ‘plays with statues’ at Miam, according to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

After Inter Miami was eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup, Zlatan Ibrahimovic backed Lionel Messi and compared the superstar’s teammates to “statues.” In Sunday’s round of 16, Messi and Inter Miami fell to his old team, Paris Saint-Germain, 4-0. Playing with Messi at Barcelona, Ibrahimovic was not thrilled by Miami’s four goals let up in the first half against the Champions League winners.

The former Sweden forward stated, “Inter Miami lost, not Leo Messi.” “Messi doesn’t play with teammates, but statues. Players are running around him like they’re carrying cement bags.

Ibrahimovic, who briefly played in MLS for the LA Galaxy, said fans did not get to see the best Messi at the Club World Cup because of a lack of talent at Inter Miami.

“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.