Former PSG, Barcelona, and AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has delivered a scathing verdict on Inter Miami, branding the MLS side a “circus” and its players “statues” — while suggesting even Lionel Messi cannot carry the team to success.
Speaking after Inter Miami’s Club World Cup last-16 defeat to PSG, Ibrahimovic, who once shared the dressing room with Messi at Barcelona, shifted blame away from the Argentine icon and squarely onto the team around him.
“Messi only plays because he loves the game, because he can still do what 99 percent of players can’t,” said the outspoken Swede.
“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!”
Ibrahimovic, who played for LA Galaxy and once dubbed himself the best player in MLS history, has been a frequent critic of Major League Soccer. His latest comments target Inter Miami’s overreliance on aging European stars like Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, all former teammates of Messi at Barcelona.
Despite their pedigrees, Zlatan argued that the supporting cast lacks the sharpness and dynamism needed to complement an elite talent like Messi.
“Messi has become a big ghost who plays in a circus,” he added, suggesting the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s brilliance is being wasted in a system and squad unfit for world-class football.
While not entirely absolving Messi, Ibrahimovic’s remarks paint a damning picture of Inter Miami’s current setup and rekindle longstanding debates about MLS being viewed as a retirement league for European superstars.
His comments also come at a time when speculation is mounting over Messi’s future, with some reports suggesting the 2022 World Cup winner could seek a short-term loan move to Europe to remain sharp ahead of Argentina’s 2026 World Cup title defense.
Whether Ibrahimovic’s critique sparks changes within Inter Miami or fuels Messi’s possible exit remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Zlatan has once again pulled no punches.
