Why Lionel Messi, Alex Rodriguez are at the White House today. Trump ends big soccer debate

Some of the sports greats, from soccer legend Lionel Messi to baseball icon Alex Rodriguez, aka A-Rod, were at the White House on Thursday

Published on: Mar 06, 2026 3:45 AM IST

Share via

Copy link

Some of the sports greats, from soccer legend Lionel Messi to baseball icon Alex Rodriguez, aka A-Rod, were at the White House on Thursday. The two met President Donald Trump before the 79-year-old spoke about Inter Miami's MLS win, congratulating the Argentine and the club's co-owner, Jorge Mas. Notably, the other owner, English great David Beckham, was not present at the event.

Lionel Messi listens as President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Inter Miami CF (Bloomberg)

Videos showing A-Rod and Messi surfaced on social media.

Why Messi was at the White House

Messi and the rest of the Inter Miami squad were invited to the White House to commemorate the 2025 MLS Cup title that they won in December. The club flew to DC on Thursday ahead of a game against DC United in Baltimore on Saturday.

Inter Miami flew to the nation's capital on Thursday ahead of a game against D.C. United in Baltimore on Saturday.

What did Trump say about Messi?

As Messi stood next to Trump, the president started off on the conflict in Iran. “The United States military, together with the wonderful Israeli partners, continuous to totally demolish the enemy, at levels people have never seen before. We are destroying Iran's missiles.”

He then turned his attention to Messi. “My son [Barron] said, 'Dad do you know who's gonna be there today?' I said no, I've got a lot of things going on. He said, 'Messi!' He's a big fan, he's a big fan of yours, he thinks you're just a great person, and I think you got to meet a little while ago.”

“He's a big soccer fan but he's a tremendous fan of yours, and a gentleman named Ronaldo.”

At one point, Trump compared Messi to the great Pele. "You might be better than Pele. Who's better? Him or Pele?" he asked. The crowd responded with the 2022 World Cup winner's name.

This is Messi's first trip to the White House. The 8-time Ballon d'Or winner had declined former president Joe Biden's invitation to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

His management team said at the time: “Messi said he is deeply honored and it is a profound privilege to receive the recognition, but would be unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts and prior commitments.”

Last year, Ronaldo was at the White House.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

Stay updated with US News covering politics, crime, weather, local events, and sports highlights. Get the latest on Donald Trump and American politics along with Horoscope 2026.