President Joe Biden has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to football great Lionel Messi and 18 others.
The White House made this known in a post on its official X account on Saturday night, the same day Biden gave the awards.
“Today, President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 great leaders who have made America a better place,” the post read.
“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.”
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor award in the United States, but Messi did not attend the ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC.
The official reason for Messi’s absence was a “scheduling error,” but there was also no one sent on his behalf to collect his award.
This meant that the name of the Inter Miami forward was not even read out when the 2025 recipients of the medal were announced at the glitzy ceremony in Washington.
A statement released on behalf of the Argentine international read: “The White House informed FIFA, which informed the club at the end of December that Leo was to be awarded this recognition.
“Leo, through the club, sent a letter to the White House saying that he feels deeply honoured and that it is a great privilege to receive this recognition, but that due to scheduling conflicts and prior commitments, he will not be able to attend.
“He thanked the gesture and noted that he hopes to have the opportunity to meet with him in the near future.”
Messi is currently on holiday from football in the off-season and has been enjoying time back home with his family.
The Barcelona legend is due back in action next month for the new season as he heads into the final year of his current contract at Major League Soccer (MLS) club, Inter Miami.