Lionel Messi has expressed regret about not taking his education more seriously as a child, particularly missing the opportunity to learn English while growing up.
The Inter Miami CF forward and Argentina national football team captain said the language barrier often left him feeling unable to fully engage with prominent figures he met during his career.
Speaking on the Mexican podcast Miro de Atras, Messi reflected on the missed opportunity to study when he was younger.
“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.’”
The FIFA World Cup 2022 winner said the experience has influenced how he now advises his children about the importance of education.
“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,” he said.
“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 moved from his hometown Rosario to Spain at the age of 13 to join FC Barcelona, where he developed through the club’s renowned academy.
Recalling his final year of schooling in Argentina before relocating, Messi admitted it had been far from productive.
“It [my last year of school in Argentina] was a disaster,” he said.
“I knew that I was leaving [for Barcelona]. At Barcelona, I finished my high school with the other children that went to [Barcelona’s youth academy] La Masia.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner joined Inter Miami in 2023 after a two-year spell with Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite his educational regrets, Messi said football has provided him with invaluable life lessons.
“I was able to do everything and reach the top [in football], but along the way there are many experiences and lessons learned,” he said.
“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.”
Boluwatife Enome
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