President Donald Trump welcomed Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates to the White House on Thursday, honoring the team for their 2025 MLS Cup championship. The ceremony in the East Room marked the first time an MLS team has been invited to the White House during Trump’s two terms in office.
The Messi Inter Miami White House visit brought the Argentine superstar and his squad to Washington D.C. ahead of their Saturday match against D.C. United in Baltimore. Flanked by coach Javier Mascherano and team co-owner Jorge Mas, Messi stood alongside Trump as the president opened with remarks on military action in the Middle East before turning his attention to the team’s achievements.
Trump began the sports-focused portion of his remarks with a nod to soccer history, reminiscing about watching Brazilian legend Pelé play for the New York Cosmos in the 1970s. “I shouldn’t say this because I’m old, but I watched Pelé play,” Trump said. “I don’t know, you may be better than Pelé. Pelé was pretty good”.
The president highlighted the unique pressure Messi faced when joining Major League Soccer in 2023. “I’ve seen a lot of great players come into the world of sports. They come to the Yankees, or they come to the Dodgers… and there’s such a clamor. Everything’s great, but they don’t win,” Trump said, gesturing toward Messi. “This guy won. Leo, you came in and you won”.
The players came bearing gifts for the president, including a No. 47 jersey from the team’s signature pink kit, a nod to Trump’s status as the nation’s 47th president. Messi personally presented Trump with a signed soccer ball, while Mas added a limited edition watch to the collection.
Trump gave shout-outs to several Miami stars, including Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez, rising forward Tadeo Allende, and Argentine playmaker Rodrigo De Paul. He also started a running joke about the team’s appearance, asking, “Do you have any bad looking players? I like the bad looking players much better,” a comment that made De Paul blush.
In his remarks, Trump made a subtle reference to Messi’s absence from a January 2025 ceremony where former President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “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,” Trump said.
The president also noted that his son Barron had met Messi earlier in the day and is a “big fan”.
Jorge Mas, the son of Cuban immigrants, accepted the congratulations on behalf of the organization. He emphasized that Inter Miami’s success represents something larger than any single player. “Not only because of Lionel Messi, but these men standing behind you have changed the culture of football in the United States of America forever,” Mas said. “We can play with the big boys; we can play with the heavyweights. Our league can be one of the top leagues in the world”.
Mas expressed hope that this won’t be the team’s last visit. “Hopefully, Mr. President, this is not our only visit here celebrating an MLS Cup championship”.
Inter Miami captured their first MLS Cup in December 2025 with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium. Messi recorded two assists in the final, setting up Rodrigo De Paul’s 71st-minute game-winner before feeding Tadeo Allende for the clinching goal in stoppage time. The performance earned Messi MLS Cup MVP honors and capped a season where he also won the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals and was named league MVP for the second consecutive year.
The victory was particularly emotional as it marked the final professional match for Barcelona legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, both of whom retired after the game. With the win, Messi, Busquets, and De Paul became the first players in history to win both an MLS Cup and a FIFA World Cup.
Inter Miami remains in the Washington area to face D.C. United on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The team will later return to their newly constructed Miami Freedom Park stadium for the 2026 season.
Trump closed the ceremony by inviting the team to join him in the Oval Office, describing it as the “center of the world… especially now”.
