Soccer legend Lionel Messi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday, but he did not come to the White House in person to receive the award from President Biden. Messi was one of 19 Award recipientsalong with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
according to USA TodayMessi's management team and his professional team Inter Miami informed the White House in advance that he would not be able to attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.
Messi comes to the United States in 2023 to join Inter Miami, one of Major League Soccer's biggest players, in one of the biggest star signings in the league's 31-year history. Messi has only played in European and Argentinian leagues for most of his career up to that point.
“Leo Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer,” a White House spokesman announced as Biden held the medal. “He supports health and education programs for children around the world through his Messi Foundation and serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.”
Major League Soccer issued a brief statement on social media congratulating Messi on the award. Neither Inter Miami nor Messi himself had acknowledged the award through a social media post at the time of publication. According to USA Today, the star said he “feels very honored and honored to receive this recognition.”
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Lionel Messi, No. 10 of Inter Miami, celebrates after scoring a goal during the second half against Orlando City at Chase Stadium on March 2, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The medal is the nation's highest civilian honor, and is presented to people who have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant community, public, or private endeavors,” according to the White House.
Biden's re-election campaign cited Messi's arrival in Major League Soccer as a catalyst for soccer's growing importance among American fans, during the 2024 Copa America soccer tournament in Atlanta in June.
After Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title in December 2022, Biden jokingly wrote: “You know, I think Messi might have a future,” in a congratulatory X-shaped post.
However, due to Messi's absence, Saturday's concert also sparked controversy. News of that Biden The awarding of the medal to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and leftist billionaire George Soros sparked public outrage on social media and violent reactions, especially from prominent conservative figures.
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Social media erupted Saturday morning with news that President Biden would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros. (Shannon Finney/Getty Images, left, Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images, right, Getty, inset image.)
Critics pointed to Clinton's handling of the war in Libya and the attack on US government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, as well as a controversial private email server for government business, which prompted the former president to… FBI Director James Comey To say publicly that Clinton mishandled classified information.
The award to Soros, a major Democratic donor, was criticized based on the billionaire's previous campaign funding of progressive district attorneys who did not address crime, which they say has led to crime waves in blue cities.
“Seriously, two of the worst people on earth,” online commentator Blake Habien wrote on the 10th of Clinton and Soros.
Messi did not express any prominent political beliefs during his career. However, he has distanced himself from the politician who has used his image in the past.
In 2011, Argentine politician Alfredo Olmedo from Salta posted a photo of Messi with the caption “Say yes to sport, say no to drugs.” Messi's lawyer, Riccardo Giusepone, claimed the politician never agreed to use the image.
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Lionel Messi, No. 10 of Inter Miami CF, waves to fans after a draw during a match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium on August 30, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
In February 2024, Messi did not play in an exhibition match in Hong Kong, remaining on the bench during a match between Inter Miami and a local team. After he refused to play, one of Argentina's friendly matches that was scheduled to be held in China last March was cancelled.
China's state-run newspaper, the Global Times, published an editorial highlighting an unsubstantiated “theory” suggesting that Messi's actions were “politically motivated” and that “external forces” wished to embarrass Hong Kong. But Messi insisted that his decision not to play in the match was not politically motivated at the time.
“I heard people saying that I don’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and many other reasons that are absolutely not true,” Messi said in Spanish in a video clip translated into Chinese and English. “If that were the case, I would not have traveled to Japan or visited China as many times as I did.”
Messi, 37, is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time and has set numerous individual records with eight Ballon d'Or awards and eight FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He is the most decorated player in the history of professional football, having won 45 team titles, including four Champions Leagues, two Copas America and one FIFA World Cup.
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