Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has admitted that he regrets not learning English when he was younger.
Messi joined Miami in 2023, moving to the United States after a legendary career in Europe with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
During his time in Miami, the Argentina superstar has given few interviews but the ones he has done have been in Spanish. On the Mexican podcast ‘Miro de Atras,’ the 38-year-old said that he wished he had a better grasp of English.
‘I regret many things,’ Messi said. ‘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 realize 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.’
Messi has been a major hit on the pitch since joining Miami, helping his side to silverware in the Leagues Cup in 2023 as well as the MLS Cup in 2025. He is also the first player to win back-to-back MLS MVP awards, which he did in 2024 and 2025.
The 2022 World Cup champion will look to win another title this summer when Argentina defends its title at the 2026 World Cup in North America.