Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has spoken of his regret over not applying himself in his studies when he was young, particularly when learning English.
The Argentina captain and 2022 World Cup winner admitted that he felt "half ignorant" when meeting famous personalities throughout his impressive career and not being able to communicate.
"I regret many things," Messi, 38, told Mexican podcast "Miro de Atras."
"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 at Barcelona from his native city Rosario when he was 13.
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"It [my last year of school in Argentina] was a disaster," he admitted.
"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."
Meanwhile, Messi, who joined Inter Miami in the summer of 2023 after two years at Paris Saint-Germain, says football has offered him other valuable lessons.
"I was able to do everything and reach the top [in football], but along the way there are many experiences and lessons learned," the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner 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."
