No need for an interpreter but the older man didn’t get it! A confused moment as F1 driver Franco clashes with a gang of elderly Chinese men in an old town, showing a picture of Messi hoping to convey he is from Argentina during a Chinese Grand Prix tour (video).
During a tour at the Chinese Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto, a rising Argentine F1 driver, strolled through an ancient community area in China but encountered a "language barrier" situation.
The incident happened when Franco passed by a group of local elderly men sitting and chatting. Upon seeing a foreign visitor, one asked the classic question, "Which country are you from? England?" but the proud Argentine Franco quickly replied.
He tried to tell the older man that he was from "Argentina" by holding up his favorite water bottle adorned with a sticker of Lionel Messi and added four words to explain.
"Messi, Argentina, Dios, El Numero Uno" (Messi, Argentina, God, Number One).
He hoped to convey, "See! I come from Messi’s country, the football god and world’s number one, sir!" However, Messi’s soft power seemed not to reach them, as the elderly men looked confused and responded rapidly in Chinese, saying "Don’t know."
Although the communication was not 100% successful, Franco continued to enthusiastically present his homeland with full effort.