Inter Miami star Lionel Messi shares regrets over not learning English

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has expressed regret over not mastering English in his younger days.

Messi has enjoyed a glittering career and has made a strong case to be considered the greatest-ever player of all time.

While he has done his talking on the pitch, Messi admits he regrets not learning English during his youth. 

The 38-year-old feels that the missed opportunity has affected his interactions with famous personalities.

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Messi opens up on English regret

"I regret many things," Messi told the 'Miro de Atras' podcast. "To not have learned English as a boy. I had the time to have at least studied English, and I didn't do it. I deeply regret it.

"I experienced situations where I was with incredible and spectacular personalities to be able to talk and have a chat and you feel half ignorant. I always thought: 'What an idiot, how I wasted my time.'

"When you're young, you don't realise it. Today that's what I tell my children, [the importance of] having a good education, to study and be prepared.

"I always tell my children to take advantage of it. They have a different situation to the one I had, although I never lacked anything..."

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'Football offers useful lessons' 

Messi spent the majority of his career with Catalan giants Barcelona, where he won a whole host of major honours, including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.

After leaving Barcelona in 2021, the forward went on to spend two years with Paris Saint-Germain before joining Inter Miami in 2023. 

The 2022 World Cup winner feels that he has learned valuable lessons and benefited from "many experiences" during his remarkable career. 

"I was able to do everything and reach the top, but along the way, there are many experiences and lessons learned," Messi added.

"It's true that football is a way of life. It teaches you a lot, it gives you a lot of values. It creates lifelong bonds. You get to know places."

Messi and his Inter Miami teammates are preparing for Thursday's friendly against Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico.

The fixture was rearranged after an injury prevented Messi from making himself available for the game's original date on February 13.