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We're all aware that Lionel Messi is a footballing genius, but a linguistic genius? That's a new one.
A video has emerged of the World Cup-winner speaking fluent English during an Inter Miami press conference just two months after arriving in the US with nothing but Spanish between his lips.
It sent shockwaves around social media, but not for the reason you might think. You see, the clip was AI-generated, but aside from a ever-so-slight pitch alteration in Messi's voice, you'd be forgiven for not realising.
Such is the technology that Messi's mouth moved in perfect synch with the English words dancing off his tongue and there were uber-realistic head movements and body gestures to further sell the charade.
READ MORE: Lionel Messi's Inter Miami bodyguard 'not ex-navy seal' – but brutally KO'd Thai fighter
"I had to stare at this for a long time before I worked out it wasn't real," wrote one X (formerly Twitter) user.
"AI has come so far so quickly it's scary," commented another, while a third added: "Without Community Notes [which informed user the clip was AI-generated] I'd have been fooled hook line and sinker."
Does AI needed to be regulated? Let us know in the comments section below.
One person joked: "He speaks better English than Harry Kane," while another quipped: "This is about as real as Cristiano Ronaldo winning the World Cup."
Messi has been on fire since coming to MLS in July, after calling time on his two-year stint at PSG. The 36-year-old has scored 11 goals in 11 matches and has almost single-handedly inspired one of the most dramatic turns of fortunes any club has experienced in recent times.
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Miami had won just eight of their 28 matches in 2023 before he arrived and were just a few points off the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but Messi's introduction sparked a nine-match winning-streak, which a included a victory in the Leagues Cup final.
The club, who are managed by Messi's former Argentina and Barcelona boss Tata Martino, are unbeaten in the 11 matches the Ballon d'Or favourite has played in, and they're now in with a previously-unthinkable shot of making the end of season play-offs.
- Lionel Messi
- Artificial Intelligence
- Inter Miami
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