Messi White House visit was one of the world headlines in football when Lionel Messi took the Inter Miami CF to the White House to commemorate the club in the history of its success.
It was the first visit the American club made after winning the MLS Cup. Messi entered the East Room with Donald Trump and co-owner of Inter Miami Jorge Mas at an official reception in his honor.
In the event, Messi gave the president a signature pink Inter Miami football. The metaphorical present was an expression of what the club is and has become in the short time that it has been in the American soccer scene after the addition of the Argentine superstar.
The executives of clubs were also present in the celebration. Jorge Mas and the coach of the team Javier Mascherano offered Trump an Inter Miami jersey and a watch to celebrate. The time was a reminder of how the club has become one of the most popular in the Major League Soccer.
In a broader sense, the event demonstrates how the entry of Messi has transformed the perception of soccer in the United States of America. Through his influence, the league has received more attention than ever. Since he joined Inter Miami, stadium attendances, television spectators and foreign attention have all swelled.
An invitation to the white house is also the indication of the growing cultural influence of the sport in the USA. Football as a less traditional sport in the US sports, is becoming increasingly more politically and socially visible.
In the case of Inter Miami, the ceremony was not just a celebration. It was a pronouncement concerning the position of the club in world football discourse. Under Messi as the head of the project, the team has rapidly ceased to be a dreamy MLS team and become a global brand.
