Lionel Messi speaks English in Bad Boys advert alongside Will Smith and it's gone viral

Many fans are hearing Lionel Messi speak English for the first time after he joined Hollywood actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in promoting the upcoming 'Bad Boys' film.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who signed a multi-million dollar contract with MLS side Inter Miami last summer, has appeared in a handful of commercials over the years.

In fact, he recently made his Super Bowl commercial debut, starring in one of the biggest adverts of the year alongside "Ted Lasso" star Jason Sudeikis and NFL icon Dan Marino.

Messi's global appeal is up there with anyone on the planet, so his recent appearance alongside 'Bad Boys' duo Will Smith and Martin Lawrence has already travelled far and wide.

As you can see below, the Argentine decides to pay the actors a visit ahead of the film's release date on June 7, 2024 – and it delivered a moment that surprised fans. [1:36s]

Here's how fans on social media reacted to the advert.

One said: "This is the first time in my life I’ve heard Messi speak English," while another commented: "This America PR will be the best thing he gains for going to the US."

A third wrote: "He is doing Hollywood commercials? Dude already owns Miami. Do you understand how big this is? They came to him to promote their movie. A soccer player. Hollywood. He is a true champion."

A fourth said: "Messi going to the MLS might be one of the best decisions he made," while a fifth added: "They should give Messi the Oscar already."

Image credit: Instagram/badboys

It may be one of the few times Messi has spoken English publicly, but Inter Miami teammate Julian Gressel has heard it all before.

In fact, the German full-back was shocked when the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward spoke to him in fluent English during a game.

Speaking about that moment on his Player Manager podcast, Gressel said: “Between me and Leo we've had this running joke a little bit ever since the first few days.

“I asked him if he speaks any English and he was like 'no, not really, your Spanish is probably better than my English' There was one moment in Saudi, I forget which game it was but maybe the first game, against Al Hilal and he came over to me and spoke to me in English.

"It was the first time he spoke to me in English."

Image credit: Getty

Gressel went on to describe the moment, adding: “During the game he covers his mouth because there are always a billion cameras on him. He covers his mouth and says 'now, we change. You stay and Jordi (Alba) runs, Jordi goes more in behind'.

"I was just like 'yes, ok - sounds good!' The funny part was after, he goes 'English, pretty good, no?'. I was like 'yes, very very good! I understood everything!’”