United States of America President Donald Trump has commended football superstar Lionel Messi for meeting expectations by winning the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup. (Scroll down to watch video)
He said this when Messi’s Inter Miami visited the White House as is customary of winners of American sports leagues to present the MLS Cup to the President.
Inter Miami beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 to win the 2025 MLS Cup which is the first for Inter Miami with Messi emerging as the MLS Most Valuable Player Award winner.
Messi, who is Inter Miami captain, handed Donald Trump a pink and black football representing Inter Miami’s colours and President Trump accepted the kind gesture and proceeded to state,
“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. We’re honoring truly talented people.”
“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.”
Messi’s visit with Inter Miami to the White House comes on the back of Cristiano Ronaldo’s-the man who is widely seen as Messi’s contemporary in football’s GOAT debate- visit to the iconic building last year.
🎥 “I don’t know, you may be better than Pele. He was pretty good. Who’s better? Him [Messi] or Pele? That’s him. I agree. But Pele was pretty good?”—Donald Trump after meeting Lionel Messi and Inter Miami players following the club’s MLS Cup triumph.#CitiSports (@BBCSport ) pic.twitter.com/YzRTaN1LEc
— Citi Sports (@CitiSportsGHA) March 6, 2026
