Soccer legend Lionel Messi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday, but he did not show up to the White House in person to receive the medal from President Biden. Messi was one of 19 recipients of the award, alongside NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
According to USA Today, Messi's management team and his pro team, Inter Miami, informed the White House ahead of time that he would not be able to attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.
Messi came to the U.S. 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 only played in European leagues and for Argentina's for most of his career to that point.
"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 held the medal.
Major League Soccer released a brief social media statement congratulating Messi on the award. Messi himself has not acknowledged 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 profound privilege to receive the recognition."
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The medal is the nation's highest civilian honor, presented to people who have made "exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors," according to the White House.
Biden's re-election campaign mentioned Messi's arrival to Major League Soccer as a catalyst for soccer's growing significance among U.S. audiences, 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, as Messi was absent, Saturday's ceremony also incited controversy. News that Biden would award the medal to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros sparked mass outrage on social media and backlash, especially from prominent conservative figures.
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Critics pointed out 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, which prompted former FBI Director James Comey to say publicly that Clinton had mishandled classified information.
The award to Soros, a Democrat megadonor, was slammed based on the billionaire's past campaign funding of progressive district attorneys 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 on X of Clinton and Soros.
Messi has not expressed any prominent political beliefs during his career.
In February 2024, Messi didn’t play in an exhibition match in Hong Kong, staying on the bench during a match between Inter Miami and a local team. After his refusal to play, one of Argentina's friendly matches that was set 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" wished to embarrass Hong Kong. But Messi insisted that his decision not to play in the match wasn't politically driven at the time.
"I’ve heard people say that I didn’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and many other reasons that are totally untrue," Messi said in Spanish in a video with Chinese and English subtitles. "Had that been the case, I wouldn’t have even traveled to Japan or visited China as many times as I have."
Widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, Messi, 37, has set numerous individual records with eight Ballon d'Or awards and eight times being named FIFA's world's best player. He is the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer, having won 45 team trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Americas and one FIFA World Cup.
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