The U.S. president congratulated the players during a brief ceremony, speaking in front of Messi and his Argentine compatriot Javier Mascherano, who now serves as the team’s head coach. After briefly referring to the war in Iran, the 79-year-old Republican recalled the 1970s, when Brazilian legend Pelé played for the New York Cosmos and helped bring international attention to soccer in the United States.
“I probably shouldn’t say this because I’m old, but I watched Pelé,” Trump said. Turning toward Messi, he added, “I don’t know, you might be better than Pelé. Pelé was pretty good.”
Standing behind the president, the players presented Donald Trump with a pink jersey bearing the number 47, a reference to his status as the 47th president of the United States. The president also remarked that he could say something no previous president had been able to say: “Welcome to the White House, Lionel.”
He then took a jab at his predecessor Joe Biden, who had awarded the Argentine forward the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2025, a ceremony that Lionel Messi did not attend.
Editorial team/le7tv