Last summer, Messi relinquished European football to explore the American soccer scene, departing from PSG to sign a contract with David Beckham’s Inter Miami. Since acquiring Messi’s services, Inter Miami has further bolstered its roster by recruiting several of Messi’s former Barcelona teammates, including Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez.
Over the years, fans have often questioned Messi’s English proficiency. The Argentine player typically conducts interviews in Spanish and had never competed in an English-speaking environment until joining Inter Miami.
Now, Inter Miami wing-back Gressel has disclosed Messi’s actual English-speaking abilities. Gressel, 30, joined Inter Miami from Columbus Crew at the end of January. Speaking on the PLAYER/MANAGER podcast, Gressel revealed, “It was my debut for Inter Miami, facing Al Hilal. Messi came up to me and said a few things in English. It was the first time he had spoken to me in English.”
“Let’s change tactics now. You drop back while Jordi (Alba) pushes forward. Jordi advances further into the opposition’s defense,” Gressel recounted Messi’s words. “I thought he spoke quite well, with a pretty good intonation,” the American player remarked.
“Messi even asked me if his English was okay. Yes, very, very good. I understood everything he said,” Gressel recalled. Earlier, in July last year, Inter Miami midfielder Robert Taylor revealed, “I’m learning Spanish while Messi is learning English.”
“I’ve heard him say a few things in English to me and some players around, I think Messi speaks English quite well,” Taylor commented. Back in 2021, Messi shared with The Sun his experience learning English: “I’ve been learning English for a year and a half because if I come to England, I have to speak English. Currently, I understand when others speak English, but I haven’t communicated much.”
Since joining Inter Miami, Messi has shown convincing form, with 16 appearances across all competitions and 12 goals scored.