Legendary Argentine footballer Lionel Messi admitted that he does not speak English out of the fear of ‘embarrassment’. Messi has almost exclusively used Spanish in public appearances throughout his career. In the last few years, however, the Inter Miami star has been picking up enough English to communicate with his teammates.
In a recent interview, Messi claimed that he could speak better English than most people realise. Speaking to Abitare on YouTube, he said, “I understand everything, or almost everything in English. But out of embarrassment I don’t speak – but I think I can actually.”
While many fans may find this statement from Lionel Messi shocking, his Inter Miami teammate Julian Gressel had confirmed the Argentine’s good English speaking skills in the past. Speaking in an interview, the American footballer had said the Argentine knew enough of the language to add some comical moments on the pitch.
Sharing a story from one of Miami’s preseason tours, this is what Gressel said on the Player/Manager Podcast – “There was a funny moment that we had during this world tour…He came over to me and said something in English. During the game, he was covering his mouth like he always does and goes ‘Now we change, you stay and Jordi runs. Jordi goes more in behind…’ Then after he goes, ‘English pretty good, no?’
Just a few weeks back, football fans were also treated to a rare sight of Lionel Messi speaking English. The former Barcelona star had featured in a Bad Boys 4 film promo alongside Hollywood stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. In the clip, Messi was seen knocking on Smith’s door before hilariously asking, “Bad Boys?” The question results in the Bad Boys cast shutting the door on the football icon.
Messi spent the majority of his football career at Barcelona after joining the club at a young age. He spent over two decades at Barcelona. The FIFA World Cup-winning Argentine left for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021. After a couple of seasons in the French capital, Messi opted for a move out of Europe for Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami.
Messi has played 15 games for Inter Miami this season, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists. He is now preparing to lead Argentina at the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 scheduled to start later this month.