Lionel Messi: Argentina Captain Explains the Reason Why He Doesn’t Like Speaking English

• Lionel Messi has opened up on the real reason why he shies away from speaking the English language
• The Argentina captain speaks Spanish but recently made an attempt at English in the Bad Boys promo
• He is currently preparing for the 2024 Copa America, hoping to help La Abiceleste defend their trophy

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has revealed his struggles with the English language, explaining why he doesn't often speak the 'Queen's dialect'.

There is a school of thought that the 2022 World Cup winner is not fluent in English, with some even thinking he doesn't understand it at all.

However, Messi, who turns 37 in the coming days, has clarified the mystery surrounding his English-speaking abilities, given that his first language is Spanish.

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Born in Rosario, Argentina, a predominantly Spanish-speaking country, and spending nearly two decades of his career at FC Barcelona, where he also learned Catalan, it's understandable why Messi is not proficient in English.

The Inter Miami superstar has never given an interview in English; his statements are usually translated or subtitled.

Messi speaks English in Bad Boys trailer

But in the fourth instalment of the Bad Boys film franchise, Ride or Die, the former Paris Saint-Germain forward showcased his acting talent and made a rare attempt at speaking English, per GOAL.

His English accent, though surprising, impressed fans, who were intrigued to hear arguably the greatest footballer of all time expressing himself in the language.

Does Lionel Messi speak English?

In an interview for his nephew Tomas Messi's streaming program, Messi explained why he rarely speaks English and revealed his level of understanding.

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"The truth is that I understand almost everything and little by little, I'm starting to talk. I think I have to let go and encourage myself to talk about it," he said, as translated in English by Diario Ole.

"Out of shame or fear of sending me someone, I don't send myself to talk, but I think I could start talking and understand a lot."

Mbappe stuns fans with flawless English accent

In a related publication, Sports Brief highlighted the surprise among football fans regarding Kylian Mbappe's accent during a recent interview ahead of Euro 2024.

In his conversation with CNN, Mbappe spoke flawless English, nearly concealing his French origins.

The interview clip swiftly garnered 18 million views, leaving many viewers astonished by the Frenchman's American-sounding accent.