Lionel Messi skips Biden’s Medal of Freedom ceremony as Clinton and Soros awards spark outrage
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 the 19 award winnersalongside NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
According to USA TodayMessi’s management team and his professional team, Inter Miami, informed the White House ahead of time that he would not be able to attend the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict.
Messi came to the US in 2023 to join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, in one of the biggest superstar signings in the league’s 31-year history. Messi had played most of his career until that moment only in European leagues and for Argentina.
“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 held the medal.
Major League Soccer released a short statement on social media congratulating Messi on the award. Neither Inter Miami nor Messi himself confirmed the award with a social media post at the time of the announcement. According to USA Today, the star said he was “deeply honored and deeply privileged to receive the recognition.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS REPORTS ON FOXNEWS.COM
Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF celebrates after scoring a goal during 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 civilian honor, awarded to people who have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant social, public, or private endeavors,” according to the White House.
Biden’s re-election campaign cited Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer as a catalyst for soccer’s growing importance 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 that Messi might have a future,” in X’s congratulatory message.
However, as Messi was absent, Saturday’s ceremony also sparked controversy. What news Biden would award former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros sparked mass outrage on social media and backlash, especially from prominent conservative figures.
HOW TRANSGENDERITY IN SPORTS MOVED THE 2024 ELECTIONS AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE
Social media exploded Saturday morning with the news that President Biden will 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, inset. )
Critics pointed to Clinton’s handling of the war in Libya and the attack on United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, as well as her controversial private government email server, which prompted the former FBI Director James Comey to say publicly that Clinton had mishandled classified information.
The award to Soros, a Democratic megadonor, was criticized on the grounds that the billionaire last campaign funded progressive, easy-on-crime district attorneys, which they say led to crime waves in Blue Cities.
“Seriously, two of the worst people in the world,” online commenter Blake Habyan wrote of X of Clinton and Soros.
Messi has not expressed any prominent political beliefs throughout his career. However, he actively distanced himself from politicians who used his image in the past.
In 2011, Argentine politician Alfredo Olmedo from Salta posted a photo of Messi with a caption that translated to “Say yes to sport, say no to drugs.” Messi’s lawyer Ricardo Giusepponi claimed that the politician never had consent to use the photo.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
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 an exhibition match in Hong Kong, and remained on the bench during a match between Inter Miami and the local team. Following his refusal to play, one of Argentina’s friendlies scheduled to be played in China in March was cancelled.
China’s state-run newspaper, the Global Times, published an editorial highlighting an unsubstantiated “theory” suggesting Messi’s actions were “politically motivated” and that “external forces” wanted to embarrass Hong Kong. But Messi insisted his decision not to play in the match was not politically motivated at the time.
“I heard people saying that I didn’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and many other reasons that are completely untrue,” Messi said in Spanish in a video with Chinese and English subtitles. “If that had been the case, I wouldn’t have traveled to Japan or visited China as many times as I have.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Messi (37) has set numerous individual records with eight Ballon d’Or awards and has been named FIFA’s best player in the world eight times. He is the most decorated player in the history of professional football, having won 45 team trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Americas and one FIFA World Cup.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports broadcast on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
