Ronaldo vs Messi; Trump stirs football GOAT debate during Inter Miami visit to White House
Ronaldo vs Messi; Trump stirs football GOAT debate during Inter Miami visit to White House
President Donald Trump stirred fresh discussion over football’s greatest-of-all-time debate while hosting Inter Miami CFat the White House to celebrate their 2025 MLS Cup triumph.
During the ceremony, Trump greeted Argentine star Lionel Messi with a handshake and spoke about his son Barron’s admiration for both Messi and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
In his remarks, the president praised the two global stars as among the sport’s greatest figures.
“He (Barron) thinks you’re just a great person. He’s a tremendous fan of yours, as well as a gentleman named Ronaldo. Cristiano is a great, some big champions, some great, great athletes in that sport,” Trump told Messi.
Trump also ventured into another long-running football debate, comparing Messi with Brazilian legend Pelé.
“I shouldn’t say this because I’m old, but I watched Pele play. I don’t know, you may be better than Pele. Pele was pretty good,” Trump added.
Messi, who recently made Major League Soccer history as the first player to win consecutive MVP awards, appeared amused by the remarks during the event.
Trump also expressed appreciation for the Argentine captain’s decision to join the Miami-based club rather than other global football powerhouses.
“You could have gone anywhere in the world, any team in the world, and you chose Miami,” he said.
