Eminent Egyptologist: "I am sorry to say it, but Messi's an idiot"
Former Minister for Antiquities and now a global ambassador the Tourism Board Zahi Hawass made the comment after Barça star's Giza tour.Leganés vs Barcelona
On February 21, Leo Messi traveled to Cairo to take part in a charity event for an organization working on the prevention of Hepatitis C. While there, the Barcelona star was treated to a tour of the famous Pyramids of Giza.
Even though the pyramids are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and have amazed visitor for centuries, Messi appeared less than enthused by the visit according to Egypt’s former Minister for Antiquities and celebrated Egyptologist, Zahi Hawass.
"Messi's face was like a stone"
“I am sorry to say it, but he’s an idiot,” Hawass opined in Spanish daily El Mundo. “When I was talking to him his face was like a stone. He didn’t show even the slightest bit of interest in what I was telling him,” the expert, who was named among Time’s 100 most influential people in the world list in 2006, added.
“I don’t think he had the slightest interest. Even when I was telling him about secret passages, or the monarchs who rebuilt the pyramids, or the reign of Tutankhamun, there was no reaction in his expression. He was very polite but perhaps he is only interested in football.”
Will Smith made a better impression
Talking about other celebrities he has guided around the site, Hawass waxed lyrical about Will Smith. “Completely different. Smith is an intellectual. He was reading and asking questions every minute. He knew the history of the pyramids. We had dinner together and for an hour and a half we talked about antiquities. There is an enormous difference.”