Lionel Messi admits education regret as he reflects on lessons beyond football

• Inter Miami star says failing to learn English left him feeling isolated at times
• Argentina captain urges his children to prioritise education and preparation
• Eight time Ballon d’Or winner reflects on the life lessons football has given him

Lionel Messi has spoken openly about his regret at not applying himself more to his studies when he was young, admitting that failing to learn English left him feeling isolated during some of the most important moments of his career.

The Inter Miami forward, now 38, said the language barrier often prevented him from fully enjoying meetings with influential figures from sport and wider society.

“I regret many things,” Messi told the Mexican podcast Miro de Atras. “Not having learned English as a boy is one of them. I had the time to study and I did not do it. I deeply regret that.

“I experienced situations where I was with incredible and spectacular personalities, people you want to talk to and have a proper chat with, and you feel half ignorant because you cannot communicate properly.

“I always thought, ‘What an idiot, how I wasted my time.’ When you are young, you do not realise it.”

Messi said those experiences now shape the advice he gives to his children, stressing the importance of education alongside sporting ambition.

“Today that is what I tell my children. The importance of having a good education, to study and be prepared. I always tell them to take advantage of it. They have a different situation to the one I had, although I never lacked anything.”

The Argentina captain moved from Rosario to Barcelona at the age of 13 to join the club’s famed La Masia academy, a decision that transformed his life but disrupted his formal education.

“My last year of school in Argentina was a disaster,” he admitted. “I knew I was leaving for Barcelona. At Barcelona, I finished high school with the other boys who went through La Masia.”

Despite those regrets, Messi reflected warmly on the wider lessons football has taught him during a career that has delivered almost every major honour.

“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. “Football is a way of life. It teaches you a lot, it gives you values and it creates lifelong bonds. You get to know places and people.”

Now in the latter stages of his career, Messi’s reflections offer a rare insight into the personal sacrifices behind his success, and a reminder that even the greatest players continue to learn long after their trophies have been won.