India, March 7 -- Lionel Messi bestowed President Donald Trump with a bejeweled pink soccer ball during a White House ceremony honouring Inter Miami for winning last year's MLS Cup.

Miami beat the Vancouver Whitecaps in December for the Major League Soccer title, and the Argentinian superstar was named the league's MVP for the second consecutive season.

"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.

Messi, who entered the ceremony alongside Trump, joined Inter Miami in mid-2023 to great fanfare. He did not speak during the event, which turned polit...