'What an idiot' - Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi admits he regrets not learning English in his youth

Yet Messi does have a few regrets as he 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..."

Messi arrived in Barcelona from Rosario at 13 and went on to finish his education at the club. He added: "It [my last year of school in Argentina] was a disaster. 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 Inter Miami star also revealed that he has learned plenty from football during his incredible career that has seen him play for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and now Inter Miami. Messi has also thrilled crowds all over the world with his performances for the Argentina national team, including leading them to World Cup victory in 2022.

"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."

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