Lionel Messi reveals the biggest regret of his life | OneFootball

Messi reveals his greatest regret and clarifies his international choice

Lionel Messi / @x.com

Football legend Lionel Messi (38) spoke candidly on the podcast ‘Miro de Atrás’. The Argentine forward opened up about a regret that has followed him since childhood, revealed a game-changing piece of advice from Pep Guardiola, and discussed the early option he had to represent Spain before ultimately choosing Argentina for good.

The childhood mistake Messi still regrets

Reflecting on his school years and his early days in Spain, Messi explained: “I finished my studies in Spain. Then I went to Barcelona; I completed the first four years of compulsory secondary education there, just like every student at La Masia.”

He then admitted one of the biggest mistakes of his youth: “What I regret most about that time is not learning English when I had the chance.”

He went on: “I tell my kids to seize this opportunity, because I regret it so much. I had plenty of time. When you meet important people, you think: ‘What a mistake, how did I waste my time?’ But when you’re a kid, you just don’t realize it.”

The Guardiola advice that shaped his career

Messi also looked back on his time under Pep Guardiola from 2008 to 2012 at FC Barcelona, highlighting the Spanish manager’s huge influence. “Pep always told us: the best way to respect your opponent is to keep scoring more goals.”

Despite the Spanish option, Messi stayed loyal to Argentina

Messi also acknowledged that at the start of his career, he was offered the chance to play for the Spanish national team, due to his time in Spain’s youth ranks.

However, he made it clear that his choice was never really a dilemma: his heart always belonged to Argentina.