Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by United States President Joe Biden
Messi was one of the 19 great leaders recognised with the prestigious award.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the US highest civilian honour, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.
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The club captain supports healthcare and education programs for children around the world through the Leo Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Messi communicated to the White House ahead of the event that he is deeply honored, and it is a profound privilege to receive this recognition.
However, due to a scheduling conflict and prior commitments, he was unable to attend
He appreciated the gesture and noted that he hoped to have the opportunity to meet in the near future.
In other news, Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah has now overtaken Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in the race to win the Premier League Golden Boot.
Salah scored twice as the Reds beat Tottenham 6-3 in an exciting game on Sunday night.
The two goals took his tally to 15 for the season after 17 fixtures. The Egyptian now has two more than Haaland, who is stuck on 13 goals.
Chelsea’s talisman, Cole Palmer, is in third place with 10 goals after failing to find the back of the net against Everton.
Alexander Isak (Newcastle United), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), and Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) are all on 10 goals each.
Salah has also overtaken Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka for the most assists, with 11.
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr was named the Men’s Player of the Year, beating Manchester City’s Rodri and his teammate Jude Bellingham to The FIFA Best Awards which were held in Doha, Qatar, on Monday night.
In the women’s category, Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year.
