Trump welcomes Messi and teammates to White House

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and his teammates from Inter Miami CF to the White House on Thursday after they became champions of Major League Soccer (MLS) for the first time in 2025, according to Agence France-Presse.

The U.S. president praised the players’ success, speaking in front of the 2022 world champion Messi and his fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano, the team’s coach, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

After briefly touching on the war in Iran, Trump referred to the 1970s, when the legendary Brazilian footballer Pelé played for New York Cosmos, bringing football into the spotlight in the United States.

“I probably shouldn’t say this because I’m old (79), but I watched Pelé,” the president said. He then turned to Messi: “I don’t know, maybe you’re better than Pelé. But Pelé wasn’t bad at all.”

Standing behind the president, the players presented Trump with a pink jersey with the number 47, referring to the 47th president of the United States.

The head of state also said he could “say something that no other president has been able to say until now: Welcome to the White House, Lionel,” while taking a jab at his predecessor Joe Biden, who awarded Messi the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2025, a ceremony the Argentine forward did not attend.

In addition to the MLS title, Inter Miami also won a match against FC Porto at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 (2–1), marking the first victory by a North American team over a European club in an official competition.

All these successes were possible “thanks to Lionel Messi, but also thanks to the people behind you who have forever changed the culture of soccer in the United States,” said team owner Jorge Mas, addressing Trump.

The United States will host this year’s FIFA World Cup together with Canada and Mexico.