ReutersSuperstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo attended a gala dinner at the White House alongside the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night.
Speaking before the event, Trump said it was an “honour” to host Ronaldo, whose leading role in the Saudi soccer league has made him a face of the country’s modernization drive under the crown prince.
Bin Salman wants to reduce the country’s dependence on oil revenues by diversifying into other areas, including sports and tourism.
A White House official confirmed earlier in the day that Ronaldo would attend, but did not say whether he was part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s official delegation.
Trump used his dinner speech to praise closer ties with Saudi Arabia, calling the country an “important non-NATO ally.” Earlier in the day, Trump hosted the Saudi crown prince in the Oval Office.
Addressing the Portuguese soccer star, Trump told guests: “My son is a big fan of Ronaldo.”
“And the Baron (Trump) was able to meet him, and I think he respects his father a little more now, just because of the fact that I introduced you.”
Also at the dinner was tech billionaire Elon Musk, who joined other influential business leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook. It is the first time that Musk to the White House since resigning as head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) in April.
A dramatic dispute between Trump and the Tesla mogul unfolded publicly for months, and included Musk announcing he would create a new political party.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s attendance at the White House, meanwhile. marks one of his first known visits to the US since 2016.
Meanwhile, he has faced a sexual assault accusation. Kathryn Mayorga alleged that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009, which he denied.
“I firmly deny the accusations made against me. Rape is an abhorrent crime that goes against everything I am and believe in,” she said in a statement in 2018.
In 2019, US prosecutors said Ronaldo would not face charges because the allegations could not be proven.
In early 2023, Ronaldo made the jump to Saudi Arabia when he became the face of the Saudi Pro League and captain of Al Nassr, the football club owned by the sovereign wealth fund PIF that is chaired by the crown prince.
In an industry where players are paid extraordinary amounts of money, Ronaldo’s salary deal with Saudi Arabia was astronomical. The footballer reportedly earned $200 million a year, or more than half a million dollars a day.
Then, in June this year, he signed a new two-year deal totaling $400m (£300m) and became football’s first billionaire player, according to Bloomberg, with a net worth of $1.4bn.
It’s a lot of money for a 40-year-old footballer who is in the twilight of his career.
But, according to Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programme, Saudi Arabia has “invested heavily in high-profile events and individuals to put the kingdom on the map” in terms of sports and tourism in its pursuit of modernism.
Ronaldo referred to Prince Mohammed as “our boss” in an interview with the Piers Morgan channel.
Earlier this month, he appeared at a Ministry of Tourism event in Riyadh where he spoke about the kingdom’s development projects and his hopes for the 2034 FIFA World Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia.
Regarding his meeting with Trump, Vakil says: “The president of the United States likes shiny things and Ronaldo is a shiny thing.”
Although for the Washington meeting the footballer has higher ambitions: world peace.
In July, European Council President Antonio Costa presented Trump with a Portugal jersey signed by Ronaldo that read: “To President Donald J. Trump, playing for peace.”
He told Morgan: “I hope to sit down with him one day because he’s one of those people I really like.
“I think he can make things happen and I respect people like that.”
