Messi and Inter Miami met Trump at White House to celebrate MLS Cup championship
Messi has committed to Miami until 2028 after joining the club
Trump called Messi the 'most of all time' with 47 career trophies
Messi is the first MLS player to win back-to-back MVP awards
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Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates met with United States President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC on Saturday, October 17, 2025, to celebrate the club's historic first Major League Soccer Cup championship victory achieved the previous December. The Argentine football icon, aged 38, and his fellow players stood on stage as Trump addressed the media, coming after the president provided updates on ongoing US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Inter Miami, co-owned by former England captain David Beckham, received an invitation to visit the White House before their scheduled MLS match against DC United later that day. During the ceremony, Trump highlighted Messi's remarkable career achievement of winning 47 trophies, calling him 'the most of all time' and expressing gratitude that 'you chose Miami' when he could have joined any team worldwide. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, who recently committed to Miami with a new contract extending until 2028, made history as the first player in MLS history to win the Most Valuable Player award in consecutive seasons. In a surprising comparison, Trump even suggested Messi might be better than legendary Brazilian player Pele, stating, 'I don't know, you may be better than Pele. Pele was pretty good,' while recalling having watched Pele play during his younger years.
Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (lit. 'Miami International Football Club'), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in Miami. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Inter Miami plays their home matches at Mi...
MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference Final. The MLS Cup winner is awarded the title o...
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, Messi has set numerous records for indiv...
# The White House
The **White House** is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at **1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW** in Washington, D.C., it stands as one of the most recognizable symbols of the American presidency and the United States governmen...
President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
Born into a wealthy New York City family, Trump graduated from the...
Messi and Inter Miami meet Trump at White House Published 1 hour ago Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team-mates met United States president Donald Trump at the White House to commemorate the club's MLS Cup triumph . Inter Miami won the championship game of the nation's top-flight division, Major League Soccer, for the first time back in December. The club, co-owned by former England captain David Beckham, received an invitation to visit the White House before their MLS match against DC United in Washington on Saturday. Messi and his team-mates stood on stage as Trump addressed the media, celebrating their achievement after providing an update on the ongoing US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump said: "My son said, 'Dad, do you know who's going to be there today?' I said, 'no, I've got a lot of things going on'. "He said, 'Messi!' He's a big fan of yours. He thinks you're a great person and I think you got to meet a little while ago." Argentina icon Messi, 38, committed his future to Miami in October with a new deal until 2028. The former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward became the first player in MLS history to win the Most Valuable Player award in back-to-back seasons. Addressing Messi, Trump added: "Leo claimed the 47th trophy of his incredible career - the most of all time. "You could have gone anywhere in the world, any team in the world, and you chose Miami. I just want to thank you for bringing us all on this ride." Trump added: "I shouldn't say this because I'm old, but I watched Pele play. I don't know, you may be better than Pele. Pele was pretty good." Related topics Major League Soccer Football More on this story Follow your club with BBC Sport Published 17 October 2025 Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone Published 16 August 2025
