Almost wore the Spain jersey, Messi reveals his biggest regret

Lionel Messi acknowledged that Spain attempted to convince him not to play for the Argentina national team, and he opened up about his biggest regrets in life.

With 8 Ballon d'Or titles, the Inter Miami star is considered one of the greatest players in history. However, his career nearly took a completely different path when he was young.

In a lengthy interview with the program Miro de Atras, Messi revealed: “There was a time when Spain contacted me. At that time, I was playing for Barca and they made some proposals. This is quite normal; many young players face similar situations. Although I am Argentine, I left my homeland early and most of my training happened there, so anything could have happened. But my desire was always Argentina.”

Messi went on to make 196 appearances for Argentina, scoring 115 goals, with the pinnacle being the 2022 World Cup victory in Qatar. He is expected to continue leading Argentina to defend their title at the upcoming World Cup in North America this summer.

Despite an illustrious career, Messi admits there are things he wishes he had done differently. He shared: “I have many regrets. I always tell my children: study well, learn English from an early age. I had time to learn but didn’t take advantage of it, and I truly regret that. Later, when I’m with important people and want to have conversations, I feel a lack of knowledge. I used to think: ‘I was foolish to waste that time.’.”

Nevertheless, Messi also emphasizes that football has given him immense value: “Football is a way of life. It teaches you many things, builds strong bonds, and gives you the chance to travel everywhere. Along the way, you experience and learn. Football is also a school.”

Although he didn’t have the educational foundation he wished for, Messi has built a career that secured his place in world football history.