Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami CF teammates were honoured at the White House on Thursday after their historic victory in the MLS Cup, with U.S. President Donald Trump welcoming the Argentine superstar during a ceremonial reception.
According to ESPN, Messi entered the East Room alongside the president and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas before presenting Mr Trump with a signature Miami pink soccer ball. The president also received an Inter Miami jersey and a watch from Mas and head coach Javier Mascherano.
The visit marked Messi’s first trip to the White House since joining Inter Miami in July 2023 and came months after long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo attended a dinner there in November.
“We’re honoring truly talented people,” Mr Trump said while addressing the team. “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.’”
The US president also shared a brief personal story about his son’s excitement at meeting the football icon.
“My son said, ‘Dad, do you know who’s going to be there today?’ I said, ‘No, I got a lot of things going on.’ He said, ‘Messi.’”
“He’s a big fan of yours. He thinks you’re just a great person. And I think you got to meet a little while ago. So he’s a big soccer fan, but he’s a tremendous fan of yours. And a gentleman named Ronaldo. Cristiano is great. You’re great.”
Inter Miami secured the 2025 MLS Cup title on December 6 after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3–1 in Fort Lauderdale, with Messi earning the league’s Most Valuable Player award for the second straight season.
“Leo, you came in and you won, and that’s something very hard to do, very, very unusual and frankly, there’s a lot more pressure put on you than anyone would know, because you sort of expected to win, but almost nobody wins,” Mr Trump said.
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Several Inter Miami players attended the ceremony, including Luis Suárez, Tadeo Allende and Rodrigo De Paul. Also present were MLS commissioner Don Garber and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
Speaking during the event, Mr Mas praised the club’s rapid rise since launching in 2020 and credited the team’s success to bold ambition.
“We can play with the big boys, we can play with the heavyweights. Our league can be one of the top leagues in the world,” Mas said. “And it is this ability to dream, to persevere, to have no obstacles ahead of us, that we will continue to be successful. And hopefully, Mr. President, this is not our only visit here celebrating an MLS Cup championship.”
“This championship was very, very well deserved, greatly played, and you’re looking at one of the best teams on the face of the earth standing behind us,” he added. “And this all became possible because we dared to dream.”
The reception follows a long-standing American sports tradition in which championship teams are invited to the White House to celebrate their titles.