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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.