Soccer legend Lionel Messi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday, but did not appear in person at the White House to accept the medal from President Biden. Messi was one of 19 honorees alongside 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 he would not be able to attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.

Messi arrived in the United States in 2023 to join Inter Miami of Major League Soccer, one of the biggest superstar recruitments in the league’s 31-year history. Up until this point, Messi had only played in European leagues and for Argentina for most of his career.

“Leo Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional football. “He supports health and education programs for children worldwide through his Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador,” a White House spokesman announced as Biden presented the medal.

Major League Soccer released a short social media statement congratulating Messi on the award. Messi himself did not acknowledge the award with a social media post at the time of publication. According to USA Today, the star said, “He is deeply honored and it is a great privilege to receive this recognition.”

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The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor and, according to the White House, is awarded to individuals who have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values ​​or security of the United States, to world peace, or to other significant societal, public or private endeavors.” have accomplished.

Biden’s re-election campaign cited Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer as a catalyst for soccer’s growing importance among U.S. audiences during the Copa America 2024 soccer tournament in Atlanta in June.

After Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title in December 2022, Biden jokingly wrote in a congratulatory X post: “You know, I think this Messi guy might have a future.”

However, with Messi absent, Saturday’s ceremony also sparked controversy. News this Biden The awarding of the medal to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros sparked widespread outrage and backlash on social media, particularly from prominent conservative figures.

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Critics pointed to Clinton’s handling of the war in Libya and the attack on U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, as well as her controversial private government email server, which led to the former FBI Director James Comey to say publicly that Clinton mishandled classified information.

The award to Soros, a Democratic megadonor, drew rebuke because of the billionaire’s past campaign funding for progressive district attorneys who have taken a hard line on crime, which they say has led to crime waves in blue cities.

“Seriously, two of the worst people in the world,” wrote online commentator Blake Habyan on “X of Clinton and Soros.”

Messi has not expressed any prominent political beliefs throughout his career.

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In February 2024, Messi did not take part in a friendly match in Hong Kong and was on the bench during a match between Inter Miami and a local team. After he refused to play, one of Argentina’s friendly matches scheduled to take place in China in March was canceled.

China’s state-run Global Times newspaper published an editorial highlighting a “theory” without evidence that said Messi’s actions had “political motives” and that “external forces” wanted to embarrass Hong Kong. But Messi insisted his decision not to take part in the game was not politically motivated at the time.

“I heard people say that I didn’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and for 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 even traveled to Japan or visited China so often.”

The 37-year-old Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time and has set numerous individual records with eight Ballon d’Or awards and eight awards as the best FIFA player in the world. He is the most decorated player in professional football history and has won 45 team trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Americas and a FIFA World Cup.

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