Lionel Messi made waves in the U.S. political sphere in the past week after he was surprisingly named as one of 19 people set to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He then made more headlines when he was the only person of the 19 recipients not to show up.
U.S. Soccer pundit Alexi Lalas was one of the most vocal critics about both Messi being given the honor and him snubbing the White House. Messi sent a letter in December that he wouldn’t be able to attend due to a prior commitment with his team releasing a statement.
"It's a great honor to receive this recognition. I'm truly grateful for it. Unfortunately, I had a prior commitment — as I have not been able to attend the ceremony at the White House on Jan. 4,” Messi said.
"I deeply appreciate this gesture, and I would be open to meeting to receive the award at another time when I'm back in the United States.”
Lalas wasn’t having it and claimed that Messi receiving the award was “ridiculous” and his absence was a “bad look for him, Inter Miami, Major League Soccer and American soccer.”
Alexi Lalas Messi award absence
Is it a bad look for Messi, Inter Miami, and MLS that Leo Messi was absent from the Medal of Freedom ceremony? pic.twitter.com/fIxcbQDAdJ
— Alexi Lalas' State of the Union Podcast (@SOTUWithAlexi) January 7, 2025
Lalas went on with an opinion piece about the incident titled “Messi didn’t deserve the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
“He's been here, what, a year and a half?” Lalas said.
“I am not saying that Messi has not been influential or not been important by any stretch of the imagination, but not only is it ridiculous for him to be awarded this medal, but it's kind of strange.”
Messi is only the second soccer player in history to win the Presidential Medal of Freedom after Megan Rapinoe was honored with the award by Biden in 2022.
The reasoning for giving the Inter Miami star the award was for being “the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer. He supports health and education programs for children worldwide through his Leo Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador,” stated the White House.
