Lionel Messi 'Moron' Insult Denied by Former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass has denied claims that he called Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi a "moron" during the Argentinian's recent visit to Egypt. 

Spanish newspaper El Mundo (via The Sun's Gerard Couzens) previously reported that Dr Hawass told a Cairo-based television station that the 29-year-old Messi, while polite, showed little interest during a tour of the Giza pyramid complex, and he concluded: "I’m sorry to say it, but he is a moron."

However, the former Egyptian minister of antiquities has blamed translation errors for the false claims and said in a statement how much he admires five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, per Couzens:

"

I would like to tell you that I never said that Messi is an idiot at all. I think the major problem that when I was talking, the translator 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, and people from all over the world know him and I think that his visit was the most important visit from a famous person to Egypt.

Personally, I admire Messi and I never miss a game he plays and 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 a surgery for a broken knee and I invite him to come back to Egypt and I will take him for a tour to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings and the tomb of Tutankhamun.

I only said the translator may not have explained all that I said because he did not speak English. Messi is a great man. I can not and I will never insult him. I admire him.

"

Messi visited Egypt at the end of February in his role as an ambassador for the Tour n' Cure campaign, an initiative aimed at treating Hepatitis C patients.

He issued a Facebook post during his trip to promote his visit and the campaign:

Per Ashraf Abdul Hamid of Al Arabiya, Messi's visit to Egypt was a long time coming after it was twice postponed, first as a result of a Cairo cathedral bombing in December and then due to Barca's 4-0 UEFA Champions League drubbing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain last month.

Messi and his team-mates will attempt to overturn the four-goal deficit and qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals when they face PSG again for the last-16 second leg at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.