Inter Miami striker Lionel Messi faced sharp criticism on social media after visiting the White House and meeting with US President Donald Trump. The Florida club's players were reportedly forced to listen to the president's speech about the bombing of Iran for approximately 10 minutes.
In a short excerpt from this speech, Trump stated that the US military, along with its Israeli counterparts, continues to destroy the enemy "long before the planned deadline" and that "if it hadn't been struck, they would have attacked us." These words have intensified the political context that has nothing to do with football.
Following this, videos circulated showing increased discontent among some fans, particularly young Iranian football fans. In them, some criticize Messi, while others point to the discarding or burning of his jersey as a sign of protest. Some don't even hide their disappointment with "coal."
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano also commented on the incident. According to him, at the beginning of the visit, it was said that this match would be only to congratulate the team on the title, mainly it would be about football. However, events didn't go as expected: the match, which was thought to be "only football," shifted to other topics.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time this has happened: Cristiano Ronaldo, who had previously met with Trump, also faced similar criticism.
In conclusion, wherever big football stars go, every step is a camera, every shot is a contest. For Messi, this time it wasn't the field, but the background turned into a "game." Now the most important question: will this wave fade faster or last longer?
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