Lionel Messi and Inter Miami feted by President Donald Trump at the White House for MLS Cup title

WASHINGTON (AP) - Lionel Messi bestowed President Donald Trump with a bejeweled pink soccer ball during a White House ceremony honoring Inter Miami for winning last year's MLS Cup.

Miami beat the Vancouver Whitecaps in December for the Major League Soccer title, and the Argentinian superstar was named the league's MVP for the second consecutive season.

"Leo, you came in and you won, and that's something very hard to do, very, very unusual and frankly, there's a lot more pressure put on you than anyone would know, because you sort of expected to win, but almost nobody wins," Trump said.

Messi, who entered the ceremony alongside Trump, joined Inter Miami in mid-2023 to great fanfare. He did not speak during the event, which turned political at times with Trump addressing the war with Iran, the situation in Venezuela, a possible future announcement regarding Cuba and even tariffs.

Addressing Messi - who famously avoids speaking out on politics - the president stuck mostly to sports.

"You could have gone anywhere in the world. You could have chosen any team in the world, and you chose to go to Miami. I don't blame you. The weather's extremely good. Do you go to Doral? You go to Doral and play golf?" Trump said, referencing a golf course he owns. "I just want to thank you for bringing us all on this ride, because you are hot and talented and a great person."

Among the other Inter Miami stars in attendance were Luis Suárez, Tadeo Allende and Rodrigo De Paul. MLS Commissioner Don Garber sat next to Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's World Cup task force. Also attending were retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez and members of Trump's cabinet.

Inter Miami was the first MLS team to be invited to the White House during Trump's two terms in office.

Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, led Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022. The 38-year-old is expected to play again for Argentina this summer when the tournament is hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Soccer's global showcase has been clouded by recent events, including the war with Iran and turmoil in Mexico following the death of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera in a military operation.

Iran is part of the World Cup field of 48 teams and is set to play a pair of games at SoFi Stadium in Southern California and another in Seattle during the group stage.

Trump opened the ceremony with comments about the conflict with Iran but did not mention the World Cup.

Following military action by the United States and Israel last week, Iran's top soccer official, Mehdi Taj, said the country could not look to playing in the World Cup with "hope."

"I really don't care" if Iran participates, Trump told Politico this week. "I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They're running on fumes."

It's not clear what would happen if Iran pulled out of the World Cup. No team that has qualified for the tournament has withdrawn in the past 75 years.

The World Cup kicks off on June 11 when Mexico plays South Africa in Mexico City.

During the ceremony, Trump spoke about how he saw Brazilian great Pele play with the New York Cosmos. He looked to Messi: "You may be better than Pele," then asked the crowd, "Who's better?"

Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said his team has "changed the culture of football in the United States of America forever."

"We can play with the big boys, we can play with the heavyweights. Our league can be one of the top leagues in the world," Mas said. "And it is this ability to dream, to persevere, to have no obstacles ahead of us, that we will continue to be successful. And hopefully, Mr. President, this is not our only visit here celebrating an MLS Cup championship."

It was the first White House visit for Messi. He was invited by the Biden administration to be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2025 but could not attend because of a scheduling conflict.

Inter Miami will remain in the area to play D.C. United on Saturday.