The Argentine captain presented a signed ball to the US president at the ceremony celebrating the club’s first title in the North American league.
Lionel Messi and the rest of the Inter Miami CF players were received this Thursday at the White House by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in a ceremony that marked their winning the Major League Soccer title in 2025. The Miami team won the trophy for the first time in its history in December, after beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the final .
The visit followed the tradition in American sports of inviting the champions of major competitions to an official reception at the presidential residence. The Inter Miami delegation entered the White House led by Messi, who stood beside Trump during the president’s speech.
It’s a special privilege to be able to say something that no American president has said before: welcome to the White House, Lionel Messi,” Trump stated, while the players from the team coached by Javier Mascherano remained on stage.
The US president also revealed an episode with his son Barron, and even Cristiano Ronaldo’s name came up. “My son asked me, ‘Dad, do you know who’s going to be here today?’ I said no, that I had a lot on my plate. He replied, ‘Messi!’ He’s a big fan of yours and thinks you’re a great person. He’s a big fan of yours and of a gentleman called… Ronaldo. We had Cristiano here, it’s incredible to have great champions and athletes here, people who love what they do,” he said. During the ceremony, Messi presented the president with an autographed pink Inter Miami ball. The club’s co-owner, David Beckham, represented at the event by Jorge Mas, also presented Trump with a club jersey and a watch.
We are honoring truly talented people,” said the US president, adding that the Argentinian recently won “the 47th trophy of his incredible career.”
Trump also took the opportunity to praise the player’s decision to stay in the United States. “You could have gone to any team in the world and you chose Miami. I want to thank you for taking us all on this journey,” he said.
This was the first time Messi visited the White House since joining Inter Miami in July 2023. The 38-year-old Argentine extended his contract with the club until 2028 and became the first MLS player to win the MVP award in two consecutive seasons.
The Argentine captain had previously been invited to the White House by Joe Biden’s administration when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in early 2025, but ultimately did not attend due to professional commitments .