In February 2017, Lionel Messi traveled to Cairo, the capital of Egypt, to take part in a charity event for an organization working to prevent hepatitis C. While there, the then-Barcelona star was treated to a tour of the famous Pyramids of Giza.

Even though the pyramids are among the world’s most popular tourist destinations and have amazed visitors 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”

According to Spanish daily El Mundo, “I am sorry to say it, but he’s an idiot,” was how Hawass reflected on Messi’s visit to the pyramids during an appearance on a Cairo-based television station.

“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 to Time’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people 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.”

Soon after, however, Hawass rapidly backtracked in a hastily released statement, insisting he had instead been venting his frustration with Messi’s interpreter, who “did not say all the magic and the mysteries of the pyramids that I was saying.”

“I said before in an interview that Messi is the most important person in the world,” Hawass said. “I think that his visit was the most important visit from a famous person to Egypt.”

And Hawass didn’t stop there.

“Personally, I admire Messi and I never miss a game he plays,” he continued. “I believe he is the best player ever and because I admire and love him I came to see him despite the fact that only a few days earlier I had surgery for a broken knee. I invite him to come back to Egypt and I will take him for a tour of Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, and the tomb of Tutankhamun.”

Messi’s English has improved since then

Messi didn’t speak English at the time of his visit to Egypt, but he has since claimed he can now understand and speak the language privately after moving to Inter Miami in the summer of 2023. However, he has yet to conduct an interview in English or speak the language publicly.

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.”

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