The visit by Inter Miami, the MLS Cup 2025 champions, followed a long-standing tradition for U.S. professional sports title-winners.

The event saw Messi walk alongside Mr. Trump into the East Room of the White House, a venue that has previously welcomed figures such as Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, MyPillow's "pillow king", and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I have the privilege of saying something no U.S. President has had the opportunity to say before", Mr. Trump began. "Welcome to the White House, Lionel Messi! We love champions, we love winners."

Forward Lionel Messi and the Inter Miami team listen to U.S. President Donald Trump's address during their White House visit on 5/3/2026. *Photo: AFP*

Messi, who recently revealed on Mexico's "Miro de Atras" podcast that he regretted not learning English, simply nodded and smiled. He continued this reaction when the U.S. leader mentioned his son, Barron Trump, was an admirer of both Messi and Ronaldo.

This was not Messi's first opportunity to attend a White House event. In January 2025, the Argentine forward was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the U.S. can bestow upon a civilian. At the time, Messi told the White House he was "deeply honored" and called the award a "privilege". However, the Inter Miami captain later announced he had other plans and did not appear at the ceremony.

Mr. Trump's interest in professional soccer began during the mid-1970s, when the late soccer legend Pele joined the New York Cosmos. The 79-year-old President interwove an anecdote about watching Pele play in the U.S. He then asked Messi's teammates if they rated him higher than the Brazilian icon. Once again, Messi simply nodded and smiled.

Messi has never publicly taken a political stance and has often declined visits with heads of state. Even during his time playing for Barca, a club known for its outspoken political views, Messi never commented on Catalonia's independence, leaving such matters to other legends like Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, and Gerard Pique. On a rare occasion when he did comment on the use of Catalan, he offered a non-political message: "The more languages a child knows, the better."

Diego Maradona, Messi's childhood idol, never received a White House invitation due to his harsh criticism of U.S. foreign policy during and after his playing career. Maradona, who had a tattoo of revolutionary Che Guevara on his calf, was denied entry to the U.S. in 2018 after calling Mr. Trump a "chirolita" – a Latin American slang term meaning "puppet".

During his speech praising Miami's 2025 season, Mr. Trump highlighted Messi's contributions, Luis Suarez's performance in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, young forward Tadeo Allende's playoff scoring streak, and also commended goalkeeper Oscar Ustari and midfielder Rodrigo de Paul.

The White House chief also joked about the handsome appearance of the Miami players, which made De Paul blush. "Do you have any 'ugly' players? I much prefer players who look tougher", Mr. Trump remarked. After a few minutes discussing Miami, Mr. Trump shifted to topics such as the New York Yankees baseball team, its late owner George Steinbrenner, the golf skills of World Cup 2026 task force CEO Andrew Giuliani, and even his plans for Cuba.

David Beckham was absent, so co-owner Jorge Mas presented President Trump with the club's iconic pink jersey bearing the number 47, in recognition of his presidency. Messi then presented a signed ball, while Mr. Mas added a limited-edition watch to the collection of gifts.

Lionel Messi presents a souvenir ball to U.S. President Donald Trump during Inter Miami's White House visit on 5/3. *Photo: AFP*

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Mr. Trump invited the entire Miami team to join him in the Oval Office, which he described as "the center of the world... especially right now."

Before genuinely acknowledging Miami's MLS Cup 2025 championship victory, President Trump repeated a tactic he had employed with Juventus players in the Oval Office during the FIFA Club World Cup in summer 2025: turning sports figures into a "backdrop" for his political and cultural objectives.

For 9 minutes and 43 seconds, Mr. Trump provided updates on his administration's ongoing conflict with Iran, hinted at a potential conflict with Cuba, and offered his assessment of what he claimed was a booming U.S. economy. During this time, Messi, Suarez, and other Inter Miami members stared blankly from behind him.

Only after this period did Mr. Trump begin to address the reason for Inter Miami's White House invitation.