Lionel Messi skips Biden’s Medal of Freedom ceremony as Clinton, Soros awards spark outrage
Soccer legend Lionel Messi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday, but he did not personally come to the White House to receive the award from President Biden. Messi was one of 19 recipients of this award, along with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
According to USA Today, Messi’s management team and his professional team, Inter Miami, informed the White House in advance that he would not be able to attend the event due to scheduling conflicts.
Messi came to the US in 2023 to join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, in one of the biggest star hires in the league’s 31-year history. Messi had only played in European leagues and in Argentina for most of his life up to that point.
“Leo Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer. He supports health and education programs for children around the world through his Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador,” a White House spokesman announced as Biden received the award.
Major League Soccer released a short statement on social media congratulating Messi on this award. Neither Inter Miami nor Messi himself accepted the award in a social media post at press time. According to USA Today, the star said “he is very honored and it is a deep honor to receive the honor.”
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Lionel Messi, #10 of Inter Miami CF, celebrates after scoring a goal in the second half against Orlando City SC at Chase Stadium on March 2, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The medal is the nation’s highest honor, presented to people who have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other important public, public or private endeavors,” according to the White House.
Biden’s re-election campaign pointed to Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer as a reason for the growing importance of soccer among American audiences, during the 2024 Copa America soccer tournament in Atlanta in June.
After Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title in December 2022, Biden jokingly wrote, “You know, I think this Messi guy has a future,” in a congratulatory X post.
However, with Messi absent, Saturday’s event also sparked controversy. The news is that Biden will award former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros sparked outrage on social media and backlash, especially from prominent conservatives.
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Social media exploded on Saturday morning with the news that President Biden will award former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Shannon Finney/Getty Images, left, Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images, right, Getty, text.)
Critics pointed to Clinton’s handling of the war in Libya and the attack on US government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, as well as her secret e-mail dealing with government business, which led to the former. FBI Director James Comey to say publicly that Clinton mishandled classified information.
The giving of Soros, a Democrat megadonor, has been criticized in light of the billionaire’s campaign to fund progressive district attorneys who have had no crime, which he says has led to crime waves in Blue cities.
“Definitely, two of the worst people in the world, Online analyst Blake Habyan wrote in X of Clinton and Soros.
Messi did not express any prominent political beliefs during his career. However, he has distanced himself from the politician who used his likeness in the past.
In 2011, Argentine politician Alfredo Olmedo from Salta posted a photo of Messi with a caption that translated as “Say yes to sports, reject drugs.” Messi’s lawyer Ricardo Giusepponi said that the politician never agreed to use this photo.
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Lionel Messi, #10 of Inter Miami CF, waves to the fans after the draw during the match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium on August 30, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
In February 2024, Messi did not play in the exhibition match in Hong Kong, he sat on the bench during the match between Inter Miami and the local team. After his refusal to play, one of Argentina’s friendlies was scheduled to be played in China in March.
China’s state-run newspaper, Global Times, published an editorial highlighting the unsubstantiated “theory” that Messi’s actions were “politically motivated” and that “foreign forces” wished to embarrass Hong Kong. But Messi insisted that his decision not to play in the game was not related to politics at the time.
“I heard people say I don’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and many other reasons that are not true,” Messi said in Spanish in a video with Chinese and English subtitles. If that was the case, I wouldn’t even have gone to Japan or visited China as many times as I did.”
Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Messi, 37, has set numerous records with eight Ballon d’Or awards and eight times being named FIFA’s best player in the world. He is the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer, having won 45 trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Americas and one FIFA World Cup.
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