A number of sports superstars, from soccer legend Lionel Messi to baseball icon Alex Rodriguez (aka A-Rod), were at the White House on Thursday. The pair met with President Donald Trump, before the 79-year-old spoke about Inter Miami’s MLS win and congratulated the Argentinian and club co-owner Jorge Mas. Notably, another boss, British great David Beckham, was not present at the event.
Videos of Arod and Messi appeared on social media.
Why Messi is in the White House
Messi and other Inter Miami players were invited to the White House to commemorate their 2025 MLS Cup win in December. The club flew to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to prepare for Saturday’s game against D.C. United in Baltimore.
Inter Miami flew to the nation’s capital on Thursday to prepare for Saturday’s game against D.C. United in Baltimore.
What did Trump say about Messi?
As Messi stood next to Trump, the president began talking about the Iran conflict. “The U.S. military, along with its outstanding Israeli partners, continues to completely destroy our enemies at a level we have never seen before. We are destroying Iran’s missiles.”
Then he turned his attention to Messi. “my son [Barron] Said: “Dad, do you know who is going today?” I said no, I still have a lot of things to do. He said: “Messi!” He’s a big fan of yours, he’s a big fan of yours, he thinks you’re a great guy and I think you met a while ago. “
“He’s a huge football fan, but he’s also a huge fan of yours and a gentleman named Ronaldo.”
Trump once compared Messi to the great Pele. “You’re probably better than Pele. Who’s better? Him or Pele?” he asked. The crowd responded by naming the 2022 World Cup winner.
This is Messi’s first visit to the White House. The eight-time Golden Globe winner turned down an invitation from former President Joe Biden to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
His management team said at the time: “Messi stated that he was deeply honored and honored to receive this recognition, but due to scheduling conflicts and previous commitments, he was unable to attend.”
Last year, Ronaldo was in the White House.
