Soccer legend Lionel Messi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday, but did not appear in person at the White House to receive the medal from President Biden. Messi was one of 19 players to receive the award, along with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
According to USA Today, Messi's management team and his professional team, Inter Miami, notified the White House in advance that Messi would not be able to attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.
Messi arrived in the United States in 2023 to join Major League Soccer's Inter Miami in one of the biggest superstar acquisitions in the league's 31-year history. Messi had spent most of his career playing only in European leagues and the Argentine league.
When Biden received the medal, a White House spokesperson said, “Leo Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer. Through the Messi Foundation, he supports health and education programs for children around the world. She is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Major League Soccer released a short social media statement congratulating Messi on his award. Messi himself had not acknowledged the award in a social media post at the time of publication. “I'm very honored and honored to receive this award,” Starr said, according to USA Today.
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Inter Miami CF's No. 10 Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal in the second half of the game against Orlando City SC on March 2, 2024 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
According to the White House, the medal is the highest civilian honor and represents an exemplary contribution to “the prosperity, values, security, world peace, or other important social, public, or private endeavors of the United States.” Awarded to a person who has made a contribution.
Biden's re-election campaign cited Messi's entry into Major League Soccer as an opportunity to increase the importance of soccer among American audiences during the 2024 Copa America soccer tournament held in Atlanta in June.
After Messi led Argentina to a World Cup victory in December 2022, Biden jokingly wrote in a congratulatory X post: “You know, I think Messi might have a future.”
However, Saturday's ceremony was also controversial due to Messi's absence. News that Biden would award medals to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros sparked widespread outrage on social media, particularly from prominent conservatives.
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On Saturday morning, social media exploded with anger at the news that President Biden would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros. (Shannon Finney/Getty Images, left, Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images, right, Getty Images, inset)
Critics point to Clinton's handling of the war in Libya, the attack on a U.S. government facility in Benghazi, Libya, and a controversial private email server for government business, which led to the former F.B.I. He forced James Comey to publicly say that Clinton had mishandled classified information. information.
The award to Democratic mega-donor Soros was heavily criticized on the basis that the billionaire has provided campaign contributions to progressive district attorneys who have shown disdain for crime in the past. They claim it is linked to a crime wave in the Blue City.
“Seriously, online commentator Blake Habian, two of the worst people on the planet, wrote about the X of Clinton and Soros.
Messi has not expressed any prominent political beliefs throughout his career.
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Lionel No. 10 of Inter Miami CF waves to fans after a draw during the match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 30, 2023. Messi. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
In February 2024, Messi did not play in the exhibition match in Hong Kong and remained on the bench in the match between Inter Miami and the local team. His refusal led to the cancellation of one of Argentina's friendlies scheduled to be played in China in March.
Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times publishes an editorial highlighting unproven “theories” suggesting Messi's actions are “politically motivated” and that “external forces” want to embarrass Hong Kong. did. However, Messi insisted at the time that his decision not to play was not due to political reasons.
“I heard people say that they don't want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and many other reasons, but that's not true at all,” Messi said in Spanish in a video with subtitles in Chinese and English. He spoke at “If I had, I would never have traveled to Japan so often or visited China so many times.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, Messi, 37, has set numerous personal records, including winning the Ballon d'Or eight times and being named FIFA's World Player of the Year eight times. There is. He is the most decorated player in the history of professional football, winning 45 team trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Americas and one FIFA World Cup.
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