Lionel Messi has risked further fury after opting against attending the glamorous White House ceremony to collect his Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The World Cup winner was awarded America’s highest civilian honor on Saturday, and was invited to meet Joe Biden and collect the award in Washington DC.
As photos began to surface of the ceremony, it became clear that Messi was one of the few recipients to skip the event, and wasn’t pictured on stage with Biden.
The likes of Bono, Magic Johnson, Hillary Clinton and Michael J. Fox all headed for the American capital, but there was no sign of Messi.
It was later confirmed that he had not attended, with official word coming shortly after that his absence was due to a ‘scheduling issue’.
It was also reported that nobody attended to accept the award on his behalf, and the announcer even skipped over Messi’s name when reading out the 2025 recipients of the medal.
Magic Johnson was among the superstars who made the trip to the White House Saturday
President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton
Lionel Messi, pictured last week with his wife Antonela, opted against attending the ceremony
On Friday, Messi had been pictured playing soccer with some kids at his home in Rosario, Argentina, after spending Christmas in Miami with his family.
The decision to hand him the honor had already sparked anger from the public earlier in the day, with one fan describing it as ‘bulls***’.
‘Messi moved here a year ago,’ the post added. ‘If people get this award for being a good example and doing charity work, millions of people should get it.’
Another user on X simply wrote: ‘Messi is getting a Presidential Medal of Freedom??? This administration is a f***ing joke!’
The 37-year-old Inter Miami star is being honored for his charity work with UNICEF and his own foundation, as well as his own success on the football pitch, which saw him lift the Copa America on US soil after winning the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
The likes of Denzel Washington and Anna Wintour all made the trip to the American capital
In Messi’s most recent Instagram post, he was playing football with kids in Rosario this week
In a statement revealing the recipients of this year’s award, the White House said of the soccer star: ‘Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer.
‘He supports healthcare and education programs for children around the world through the Leo Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.’
When it emerged that he had snubbed the glitzy White House event, a second wave of fury emerged online.
One X user wrote: ‘This is just unbelievable. How did he not attend this?’
Another added: ‘He must be a Trump guy’
