Fans stunned after hearing Lionel Messi speak English 'for the first time'

Fans have been left stunned after hearing Lionel Messi 'speak English' for what appears to be the first time.

Born in Rosario, Argentina, Messi's first language is Spanish and he then learned to speak Catalan during his glittering stint with Barcelona.

It was always thought that Messi, who has tormented many teams on these shores in the Champions League, could not speak English.

Nobody had ever heard Messi given an interview in English, instead it was often translated and subtitled.

However, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner may just be able to speak a bit of English as shown in a clip which has gone viral online.

Messi is wearing a suit at an event alongside Marco Verratti and being shown tricks by magician Julius Dean, who has 6.7 million followers on Instagram and 8.11 million subscribers on YouTube.

The Londoner has performed magic for celebrities like Drake and Post Malone, as well as tennis star Novak Djokovic and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

And he recently attempted to blow the mind of Messi, a magician in his own right. Messi and Verratti had their hands on top of one another as Dean, 27, tried to explain the trick.

He was initially counting down in Spanish, going "tres, sos, uno" but then said that "I've got to practice my Spanish as he spoke to the camera'".

Messi then appeared to chimed in to say, "Very nice of you!" and that prompted a huge cackle from Verratti.

Image: Alamy

But above all, it sent social media into complete and utter overdrive.

One fan wrote: "Rare footage of Messi speaking English."

Another said: "The best English speaker of all-time."

A third commented: "He finished football and now he is the best speaker of all time goat things."

A fourth added: "As a Messi fan, to hear him say that, it's like him winning a Ballon d'Or."

A fifth stated: "Just realised I've never heard him speak English."

In 2021, Messi admitted he had been learning English during the period in which he was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City

At his PSG unveiling, he told Guillem Balague: “I’ve been learning English for a year and a half. But when you’re there in England, you get to learn it through necessity... Yeah, exactly. I understand it but I don’t speak it.”

AI video software Synthesia recently used its technology to show Messi speaking in multiple languages, including English.

Lionel's English will be extremely helpful as he joins Inter Miami in the United States this summer.