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Soccer legend Lionel Messi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday, but he did not appear at the White House in person to receive the medal from President Biden. Messi was one of the 19 award winnersalong with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
According to USA TodayMessi’s team and his professional team, Inter Miami, notified the White House in advance that he would not be able to attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.
Messi came to the United States in 2023 to join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, one of the biggest signings of a superstar in the league’s 31-year history. For most of his career up to this point, Messi has only played in European leagues and for the Argentina national team.
“Leo Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional football. He supports health and education programs for children around the world through his Messi Foundation and is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF,” a White House press secretary announced as Biden held the medal.
Major League Soccer released a short statement on social media congratulating Messi on the award. Neither Inter Miami nor Messi himself confirmed the award in a social media post at the time of publication. According to USA Today, the star said that “he is very honored and to receive this recognition is a great honor.”
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Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami celebrates after scoring in the second half against Orlando City at Chase Stadium on March 2, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The medal is the nation’s highest civilian award, given to people who have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant public, government, or private endeavor,” 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 prominence among U.S. audiences during the 2024 Copa América soccer tournament in Atlanta in June.
After Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title in December 2022, Biden joked, “You know, I think this guy Messi might have a future” in a congratulatory message to X.
However, since Messi was absent, Saturday’s ceremony was also controversial. News that Biden to award the medal to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros, sparking massive social media outrage and backlash, particularly from prominent conservative figures.
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Social media erupted in outrage Saturday morning with the announcement that President Biden would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros. (Shannon Feeney/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 United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, as well as her controversial private email server for government business, prompting the former FBI Director James Comey to say publicly that Clinton mishandled classified information.
The award to Soros, a Democratic megadonor, was condemned on the grounds that the billionaire financed a past campaign by progressive, anti-crime district attorneys, which they said led to a crime wave in blue cities.
“Seriously, two of the worst people on earth,” online commentator Blake Habian wrote on X about Clinton and Soros.
Throughout his career, Messi has not expressed any notable political beliefs. However, he actively distanced himself from the politician who once used his likeness in the past.
In 2011, Argentine politician Alfredo Olmedo from Salta posted a photo of Messi with a caption that translated as “Say yes to sport, say no to drugs.” Messi’s lawyer Riccardo Giusepponi said that the politician never gave his consent for the photo to be used.
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Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami waves to the fans after the draw during the match between Nashville and Inter Miami at DRV PNK Stadium on August 30, 2023. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
In February 2024, Messi did not play in an exhibition match in Hong Kong, remaining on the bench in Inter Miami’s match against the local team. After his refusal to play, one of Argentina’s friendly matches, which was supposed to take place in China in March, was canceled.
China’s state-run Global Times newspaper published an editorial highlighting an unsubstantiated “theory” that Messi’s actions were “politically motivated” and that “external forces” wanted to embarrass Hong Kong. But Messi insisted his decision not to play the match was not politically motivated at the time.
“I heard people say that I didn’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and for many other reasons that are completely untrue,” Messi said in Spanish in a video with Chinese and English subtitles. “If that was the case, I wouldn’t even have gone to Japan or visited China as many times as I did.”
Widely recognized as one of the greatest footballers of all time, the 37-year-old Messi has set numerous individual records, winning eight Ballon d’Or awards and being named the FIFA World Player of the Year eight times. He is the most decorated player in the history of professional football, having won 45 team trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa America and one FIFA World Cup.
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