President Donald Trump is hosting the 2025 MLS Cup champions Inter Miami, including Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi, at the White House Thursday.
Watch the event live in our video player above.
In October, Messi agreed to a new contract with Inter Miami, a deal that required several months to complete and ensured that the sport’s biggest icon will be with the Major League Soccer club for its planned move into a new stadium this year.
Inter Miami said it was a three-year deal through 2028. His decision to stay in Miami is big for both the club and for MLS.
Messi was the league’s MVP in 2024 and 2025, making him only the second two-time winner in league history and the first to win it in back-to-back years. Preki won the MVP award in 1997 and 2003.
Messi is 38, which makes this contract likely his last as a professional player. He has spent well over half his life playing at the pro level, making his debut with Barcelona as a 17-year-old in 2004.
It is not clear how long Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and generally considered the sport’s biggest star, plans to keep playing. He led Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022; his country will aim to defend that trophy when the tournament is played June and July in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
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