Lionel Messi, the soccer legend, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday, but he did not appear in person at the White House to receive it from President Biden. Messi was one of 19 recipients, including NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
According to USA Today, Messi’s management team and professional team, Inter Miami, notified the White House ahead of time that he would be unable to attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.
Messi moved to the United States in 2023 to join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, one of the league’s most high-profile signings in its 31-year history. Messi had spent the majority of his career in European leagues and with Argentina.
“Leo Messi is the most decorated player in professional football history.” “He supports health and education programs for children worldwide through his Messi Foundation and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador,” a White House spokesperson said as Biden held the medal.
Major League Soccer issued a brief social media statement congratulating Messi on his award. Messi had not acknowledged the award with a social media post at the time of publication. According to USA Today, the star stated, “He is deeply honored, and it is a profound privilege to receive this recognition.”
The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor, given to people who have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public, or private endeavors,” according to the White House.
During the June 2024 Copa America soccer tournament in Atlanta, Biden’s re-election campaign cited Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer as a catalyst for soccer’s growing importance among American audiences.
After Messi led Argentina to victory in the World Cup in December 2022, Biden joked in a congratulatory X post, “You know, I think that Messi guy might have a future,”
However, due to Messi’s absence, Saturday’s ceremony sparked controversy. The announcement that Biden would award the medal to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros sparked widespread outrage and backlash on social media, particularly from prominent conservative figures.
Critics pointed to Clinton’s handling of the Libyan war and the attack on US government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, as well as her controversial private email server for government business, which prompted former FBI Director James Comey to publicly accuse Clinton of mishandling classified information.
The award to Soros, a Democrat megadonor, was criticized due to the billionaire’s previous campaign funding of progressive district attorneys who have been light on crime, which they claim has resulted in crime waves in Blue cities.
“Seriously, two of the worst people on the planet,” online commentator Blake Habyan wrote on X about Clinton and Soros.
Messi has not expressed any strong political beliefs throughout his career.
Messi did not play in an exhibition match in Hong Kong in February 2024, instead sitting on the bench for Inter Miami against a local team. After his refusal to play, one of Argentina’s friendly matches in China in March was canceled.
The Global Times, China’s state-run newspaper, published an editorial highlighting a “theory” with no evidence that Messi’s actions had “political motives” and that “external forces” wanted to embarrass Hong Kong.
However, Messi insisted that his decision not to play in the match was not politically motivated at the time.
“I’ve heard people say I didn’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons, among other things, which are completely false,” Messi said in Spanish in a video with Chinese and English subtitles. “Had that been the case, I wouldn’t have even traveled to Japan or visited China as many times as I have.”
Messi, 37, is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, having won eight Ballon d’Or awards and been named FIFA’s World Player of the Year eight times. He is the most decorated player in professional soccer history, having won 45 team trophies, including four UEFA Champions League titles, two Copa Americas, and one FIFA World Cup.
