Lionel Messi is well known for hoovering up every possible honour there is in the world of soccer but the star is now taking over off the field.
Messi was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Biden, an honour that very few can boast.
Speaking on Messi’s presidential award, the White House said: “He supports healthcare and education programs for children around the world through the Leo Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.”
Messi was named the MLS MVP for 2024 something that many argued was the wrong decision, and one former US international has criticized the awarding of Messi’s latest honor.
Alexi Lalas finds Messi award ‘ridiculous’
Despite helping Inter Miami to secure a Supporters Shield last season, Messi missed out on the King of America award which would have seen him make MLS history.
The Argentine scored 20 goals in the MLS as well as adding 11 assists, but despite his success on the field former US defender Lalas isn’t impressed with Messi being handed the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Messi was criticized by many for now showing up to receive his award, something that also irked Lalas.
Taking to X, Lalas responded to a post questioning if Messi should have been at the award, he said: “Yes. It was ridiculous and strange to award it to Messi. But if you’re going to accept the honor, then find a way to be in DC.”
It’s fair to say that Lalas was left far from impressed by the awarding.
Messi’s awards since joining Inter Miami
Messi continues to lead the way in world soccer with the amount of awards he has won in his career.
The record-holding eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is regarded as the greatest of all time and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer simply called him ‘the best.’
What Messi certainly is the best at is collecting honors, he won his fair share before arriving in the US but his collection has grown since.
- 1x The Best FIFA Men’s Player
- 1x Ballon d’Or
- 1 x MLS MVP
- 1 x MLS League’s Cup Top Scorer
- 1 x Presidential Medal of Freedom
Messi failed to retain his FIFA The Best Award for a third successive year, but he will be back hungrier than ever for Inter Miami in 2025.
The Herons face a tough opening fixture against New York City FC.
Inter Miami have a pretty poor record against their opening-day opponents, so Messi will have his work cut out early on.