Messi better than Pelé, destruction of the Iranian arsenal and Cuba free: this was Trump's tribute to Inter Miami at the White House

Argentine star Lionel Messi and the entire Inter Miami were honored at the White House by President Donald Trump after winning the Major League Soccer (MLS) title last December.

“Leo, you came in and you won, and that’s something very hard to do, very, very unusual and frankly, there’s a lot more pressure put on you than anyone would know, because you sort of expected to win, but almost nobody wins,” Trump said during an address where, in addition to football, he also talked about geopolitics and U.S. domestic politics in one of the most surreal events at the White House in a long time.

Iran and Cuba steal the headlines

As if it were already a trademark of his, Trump once again took advantage of a sporting event to talk about his Administration's foreign policy. The key topics, which undoubtedly stole the spotlight, Iran and Cuba.

Indeed, before the watchful eyes of Messi and all his teammates, Trump announced that U.S. military operations against Iran continue and urged the Iranian regime's security forces to lay down their arms.

"We are totally demolish the enemy—far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before," Trump said. "They have no air force, they have no air defense, all of their airplanes are gone, their communications are gone, missiles are gone, launchers are gone — about 60% and 64%, respectively."

"I'm once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military, and the police to lay down their arms. They're only going to be killed. Now is the time to stand up... and help take back your country," the U.S. leader added.

Then, in an emotional moment, Trump referred to the Cuban regime, which he described weeks ago as a "dying" dictatorship. Speaking directly to Inter Miami owner,Cuban-American businessman Jorge Mas, the Republican president promised him that he would soon return to Cuba.

"Congratulations as well to co-owners, Jorge and Jose Más. Who came from Cuba, right? Originally from Cuba? Your parents came? You're going to go back- ay, ay, ay. It's gonna be- And you won't need my approval," Trump told Jorge Mas. "We're gonna celebrate that separately. I just wanted to wait a couple of weeks. I wanted to wait a couple of weeks but we will be together again soon, I suspect, celebrating what's going on in Cuba. They want to make a deal so badly. You have no idea."

Jorge Mas is the son of Jorge Mas Canosa, a very influential figure in Cuban exile.

The Mas Canosa family is one of the most influential in the United States thanks to its infrastructure company MasTec, one of the most important in the country. After fleeing Cuba following Castroism's rise to power, the clan was involved for decades in political activism, with Jorge Mas Canosa even founding the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) with the goal of pressuring the regime on the island through the U.S. government.

Jorge Mas also delivered a few brief words during the event, more focused on the sporting success of Inter Miami, a club led by the Mas Canosa family and former British soccer playerDavid Beckham, the main architect of Messi's arrival in the MLS.

According to Mas, Inter Miami has "changed the culture of football in the United States of America forever."

"We can play with the big boys, we can play with the heavyweights. Our league can be one of the top leagues in the world," he said. “And it is this ability to dream, to persevere, to have no obstacles ahead of us, that we will continue to be successful. And hopefully, Mr. President, this is not our only visit here celebrating an MLS Cup championship.”

Both Mas and Messi also took advantage of the event to give Trump several gifts, including an Inter Miami jersey with the number 47 and his name, a signed ball and a watch.

The U.S. will be one of three venues for this year's World Cup, which will also be played in Canadaand Mexico.

There are concerns about World Cup venues this year because of the cost of tickets, insecurity in Mexico and also global conflicts around the worldthat are keeping the participation of some qualified teams, including Iran, on hold.

The comedic moments of the night

During his speech, Trump was encouraged to debate about who is the 'GOAT' (Greatest Of All Time) of soccer: "You may be better than Pelé. Who is better? Him or Pelé?" Trump asked everyone present alluding to Messi, who was a couple of meters away from the American leader. The entire audience, amid laughter, responded to the president by shouting "Messi." Then he continued: "I think he is, although Pelé was very good".

It is not the first time Trump has talked about Pelé at a sporting event. Months ago, when he received FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the White House, Trump recalled when the Brazilian star came to MLS to play for the New York Cosmos.

While soccer is not as popular in the United States as it is in the rest of the Western world - especially in South America - Trump could easily be considered the first 'soccer-loving'US president. According to Fox Sports, Trump played three sports at the New York Military Academy, two of them very popular in the US - baseball and soccer. The other, surprisingly, was soccer. He played one season on the varsity team.

Trump's son Barron is also a big soccer fan and, in fact, Trump made mention of it during the Inter Miami visit.

"My son said, 'Dad do you know who is going to be there today?' I said, 'No. I've got a lot things going on.' He said, 'Messi,'" Trump said before acknowledging that his son is a fan of Leo Messi and also Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, the Argentine's biggest soccer rival for several years. Ronaldo had visited the White House last November during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

It was the first time that Messi, who did not speak during the event, visited the White House. Previously, former President Joe Biden had invited him to present him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but the captain of the Argentine national team was unable to attend due to a problem with his schedule.

In addition to Leo Messi, other world figures, such as Uruguayan Luis Suarez, Argentine Rodrigo de Paul, and baseball player Alex Rodriguez attended the event. Inter Miami also has good and talented South American soccer players such as Venezuelan Telasco Segovia and Argentine Tadeo Allende, who were at the tribute.

At another point, Trump shook de Paul's hand right after asking "Where the hell is Rodrigo de Paul?" eliciting laughter from those present. Then, almost immediately, he cross-examined, "Do you guys even have any bad looking players?"

"These are good-looking people. I don’t like good-looking men. You don’t feel so good about yourself standing up here," the president sentenced.