The gamers got here bearing items for Trump, together with a No. 47 jersey
Inter Miami’s Argentine celebrity Lionel Messi, proprietor Jorge Mas and US President Donald Trump pose with a jersey and a signed ball throughout a White Home occasion honoring the squad. Picture: AFP
MIAMI:
Argentina’s celebrity Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates had been feted by President Donald Trump on the White Home on Thursday in honor of their 2025 MLS Cup championship.
Messi was on the forefront as Miami gamers, coach Javier Mascherano and workforce co-owner Jorge Mas flanked Trump, who opened proceedings with feedback on army motion within the Center East.
However he quickly acquired all the way down to the workforce’s 2025 exploits and rememiniscences of Brazilian icon Pele’s Nineteen Seventies stint with the New York Cosmos and its electrifying impact on soccer in the US.
“I should not say this as a result of I am outdated, however I watched Pele play,” Trump stated. “I do not know, you (Messi) could also be higher than Pele. Pele was fairly good.”
The gamers got here bearing items for Trump, together with a No. 47 jersey from the workforce’s signature pink equipment, reflecting his standing because the nation’s forty seventh president.
From Trump there have been shout-outs to Miami’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, rising star Tadeo Allende, and Rodrigo De Paul — and a refined dig at former president Joe Biden.
“It is my distinct privilege to say what no American president has ever had the prospect to say earlier than: Welcome to the White Home, Lionel,” Trump stated, an indirect reference to the very fact Messi didn’t attend the ceremony when Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2025.
“I’ve seen a number of nice gamers come into the world of sports activities,” Trump stated. “They arrive to the Yankees or they arrive to the Dodgers… and there is such a clamor.
“The whole lot’s nice, however they do not win. This man received,” he stated with a gesture towards Messi.
“Leo, you got here in and also you received. There’s much more stress placed on you than anybody would know since you’re kind of anticipated to win,” Trump added.
Trump’s rundown of Miami’s 2025 achievements included not solely their 3-1 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps within the MLS Cup last but additionally their 2-1 victory over Portuguese facet Porto within the Membership World Cup, which marked the primary time a North American workforce beat a European one in official competitors.
In accepting Trump’s congratulations, Mas — the son of Cuban immigrants — stated Miami’s rise since its 2020 inaugural season was primarily based on the philosophy that “for those who work arduous and also you sacrifice and also you dream, it may be doable.”
Inter Miami’s international success is “not solely due to Lionel Messi, however these males standing behind you could have modified the tradition of soccer in the US of America without end,” Mas stated. “We will play with the massive boys.”
