US president had effusive praise for Messi but also made the event uncomfortable
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami visited Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday as the club continue to celebrate their historic MLS Cup triumph, but the even was both inspiring and filled with uncomfortable moments.
Messi, the team captain, led the delegation alongside club co-owner Jorge Mas before presenting the US president with a pink Inter Miami football.
The Argentina international also took part in the exchange of gifts that included a club jersey and a watch presented to Trump by Mas and head coach Javier Mascherano.
It is the first time Messi has visited the White House since moving to the US in 2023. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner joined Inter Miami midway through that year and has since helped transform the club’s fortunes, culminating in their MLS Cup victory in December.
Inter secured the title with a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Fort Lauderdale in December. It is the first championship the club have won since entering MLS in 2020. Messi played a central role in that run and was named the league’s most valuable player for the second year in a row.
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The Argentine’s visit of Trump comes only a few months after rival Cristiano Ronaldo visited the White House with a Saudi Arabian delegation. Trump effusively praised Ronaldo on that occasion and this time around he also had high praise for Messi.
“We’re honouring truly talented people,” Trump said, with Messi, Mas and the Inter squad standing around him. “It’s my distinct privilege to say what no American president has ever had the chance to say before: ‘Welcome to the White House, Lionel Messi.’
Shortly after the US president said he saw Brazilian great Pele play with the New York Cosmos and then told the Argentine “You may be better than Pele”, before turning to the audience and asking “Who’s better?”
Trump also made several awkward comments during the meeting, not least boasting before the footballers about how the US and Israel are currently conducting the war in Iran.
“The United States military, together with the wonderful Israeli partners, continues to totally demolish the enemy, far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before,” Trump said.
In Saudi Arabia where Messi’s rival Ronaldo is close to his first major trophy in the Middle East, matches have been rescheduled but the league is playing on as the conflict led by Trump’s US and Israel continues to unfold around them.
