Lionel Messi will be distinguished with the highest civilian honor of the USA: will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The distinction will be presented to him by President Joe Biden in a ceremony that will take place at the White House.
In this way, the soccer star will become the first Argentine to receive this decoration. In total, there will be 18 figures honored. Messi was chosen for his outstanding sporting career, his social commitment through Leo Messi Foundation and his role as ambassador of UNICEF Goodwill.
Lionel Messi will receive the highest decoration in the United States
The Presidential Medal of Freedom recognizes individuals who accomplished “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural, or other important public or private endeavors“. Established almost 80 years ago by former President Harry S. Truman and renamed in 1963 by former President John F. Kennedy, Lionel Messi will become the first Argentine to receive it.
According to the official statement issued by the White House, President Biden highlighted that the winners “They are great leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world. They keep the faith, give everyone a fair chance and put decency before everything else.” Award-winning figures also include former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, designer Ralph Lauren, U2 frontman Bono and philanthropist and mega-donor George Soros.
Among the athletes who have received the decoration throughout history are: Muhammad Ali, michael jordan Arthur Ashe, Simone Biles and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. For his part, Messi will be the first male footballer to receive the Medal.
The ceremony will take place at the White House and will be the last time Biden awards the medal, 16 days before the end of his presidency. Since August 2023, the Argentine has been working in the Inter Miami and, since then, it generated a great impact on American society.
Lionel Messi in the stock market: what the new business of his empire is about
Thanks to his sporting success, Lionel Messi built an empire with his off-field businesses. The player of the Argentine National Team and Inter Miami carries out different ventures, such as hotel chains and, in recent days, he took another step: his listed Spanish real estate investment company (SOCIMI), called Edificio Rostower and with headquarters in Barcelona, began trading on the stock market.
The football legend is president of the aforementioned firm, which was launched on the European Portfolio Stock Exchange (a European alternative market supervised by the Bank of Spain) with a reference price of €57.4 per share, which represents a total value of €223.2 million. For his part, his wife Antonela Roccuzzo is the first vice president of the company.
The assets are mostly located in the Catalunya region, where Messi lived for more than two decades in which he played for Barcelona FC, until 2021, when he went to Paris Saint-Germain.
Source: Ambito
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