Football legend Lionel Messi received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday, but he did not personally come to the White House to receive the medal from President Biden. Messi was one of the 19 recipients of the awardalongside 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 came to the US in 2023 to join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, in one of the biggest superstar recruitments in the league’s 31-year history. Messi had previously only played in European competitions and for Argentina.
“Leo Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional football. He supports health and education programs for children worldwide through his Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador,” a White House spokesperson announced as Biden accepted the medal.
Major League Soccer released a short statement on social media congratulating Messi on the award. Messi himself did not acknowledge the award with a social media post at the time of publication. According to USA Today, the star said that “he is deeply honored and it is a great privilege to receive the recognition.”
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Inter Miami CF number 10 Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal during the second half against Orlando City SC 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 given to people who have “made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant civic, 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 significance among the American public 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 that Messi guy might have a future,” in a congratulatory X post.
However, in the absence of Messi, Saturday’s ceremony also caused controversy. News that Biden The medal was to be awarded to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros sparked massive outrage on social media and backlash, especially from prominent conservative figures.
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Social media erupted in anger on Saturday morning with the news that President Biden will 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.)
Critics pointed to Clinton’s handling of the war in Libya and the attack on US government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, as well as her controversial private government affairs email server, which used to FBI Director James Comey to say publicly that Clinton had mishandled classified information.
The award to Soros, a Democratic megadonor, was rejected based on the billionaire’s past campaign financing of progressive prosecutors who have been light on crime, which they say has led to crime waves in blue cities.
“Seriously, two of the worst people on earth,” online commentator Blake Habyan wrote about Clinton and Soros’ X.
Messi has not expressed prominent political beliefs during his career.
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Lionel Messi, #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 a friendly match in Hong Kong and remained on the bench during a match between Inter Miami and a local team. After he refused to play, one of Argentina’s friendly matches, due to be played in China in March, was cancelled.
China’s state-run newspaper, the Global Times, published an editorial highlighting a “theory” without evidence that suggested Messi’s actions had “political motives” and that “external forces” wanted to embarrass Hong Kong. But Messi insisted his decision not to play in the match at the time was not politically driven.
“I heard people say I didn’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and many other reasons that are completely untrue,” Messi said in Spanish in a video with Chinese and English subtitles. “If that had been the case, I wouldn’t have even traveled to Japan or visited China as often as I did.”
Messi, 37, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time and has set numerous individual records with eight Ballon d’Or awards and been named FIFA’s best player in the world eight times. He is the most decorated player in the history of professional football and has won 45 team trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Americas and one FIFA World Cup.
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