The King of Spain Felipe VI has invited the eight-time winner of the “Golden Ball“ Lionel Messi to an official dinner with the royal family. The meeting is planned in Oviedo on the eve of the ceremony for the “Princess of Asturias“ awards for 2026, at which the Argentine football player will be honored in the “Sports“ category. The information was quoted by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, which refers to The Touchline.
The dinner is expected to be attended by Queen Letizia, other members of the Spanish royal family and the other winners of this year's awards. The award for Messi was announced by the Princess of Asturias Foundation on June 3. The competition attracted 27 applications from 12 countries.
After the decision was announced, Messi thanked the jury and the foundation. "This is a huge source of pride for me. Spain and Catalonia are part of my life - I grew up there as a footballer, I lived there for many years and my children were born there," the Argentine said.
He added that behind every success are teammates, family and the people who have helped him along the way. He said his story can encourage children to continue dreaming, working hard and respecting the values of sport.
The 39-year-old Messi has been playing for Inter Miami since 2023. Before that, he played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. With the Catalan club, he won the Champions League four times, the UEFA Super Cup three times and the Club World Cup three times.
With the Argentina national team, Messi became world champion in 2022, won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, as well as Olympic gold in 2008. He has played 208 matches for the representative team and scored 126 goals - records for Argentina in both categories.
Messi has participated in six World Cups. After the 2026 World Cup, he ended his career with the national team, but continued to play for Inter Miami.