Trump honors Lionel Messi, Inter Miami at White House after historic MLS title

Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates visited the White House to celebrate their MLS Cup championship. The historic event saw the squad meet with United States president Donald Trump to commemorate their victory in the nation’s top-flight division, which they remarkably secured for the first time back in December.

The invitation to visit the White House was received by the club, co-owned by former England captain David Beckham, ahead of their MLS match against DC United in Washington this Saturday.

In this connection, Trump said: “My son [Barron] said, “Dad, do you know who’s going to be there today?”

I said, “no, I’ve got a lot of things going on.”

He said, ‘Messi!’ He’s a big fan of yours. He thinks you’re a great person and I think you got to meet a little while ago.”

The 38-year-old Argentina icon committed his future to Miami in October, signing a new deal until 2028. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star became the first player in MLS history to win the Most Valuable Player award in consecutive seasons. Trump praised Messi's performance, adding: “Leo claimed the 47th trophy of his incredible career of all time.”

“You could have gone anywhere in the world, any team in the world, and you choose Miami. I just want to thank you for bringing us all on this ride.”

“I shouldn't say this because I’m old, but I watched Pele play. I don’t know, you may be better than Pele. Pele was pretty good”, Trump added.

The ceremony celebrated the team’s historic performance and honored the players for their remarkable MLS Cup triumph.