Donald Trump Hosts Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Crown Prince During White House Visit | Watch Videos
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has become the public face of the Saudi Pro League since joining Al-Nassr in late 2022, was a surprise but significant attendee at the lavish event.
Portugal football star Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday attended a White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump shared a lighthearted anecdote at a White House dinner, joking that son Barron, a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, now respects him more after the meeting him amid formal events.
"My son is a big fan of Cristiano... Barron got to meet him and I think he respects his father a little bit more now," quipped Trump.
Ronaldo, who has become the public face of the Saudi Pro League since joining Al-Nassr in late 2022, was a surprise but significant attendee at the lavish event.
Ronaldo has been the face of the Saudi soccer league since joining Saudi club Al-Nassr at the end of 2022 on a reported $200 million-a-year contract.
The 40-year-old Portuguese star signed a two-year extension in June with Al-Nassr, which is majority owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund that the crown prince chairs.
It was a rare US visit for Ronaldo, who hasn't played in the country since 2014.
In 2017, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that Ronaldo had years earlier paid $375,000 in hush money to a woman who accused him of raping her at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. Ronaldo's lawyers maintained the sex was consensual, and no criminal charges ever were filed.
The gala dinner, held in the East Room, was a key component of the Crown Prince’s day-long engagement with the US administration, which centered on securing defense contracts, technology partnerships, and advancing efforts toward Middle East peace. Attendees included major figures from US and global business, such as Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Tesla founder Elon Musk.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended the black-tie dinner in the White House East Room. He has been a regular at the White House this year, ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup.
Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup after FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, shaped a fast-track bidding process two years ago that helped ensure there was no rival bid.
Ronaldo promoted that bid, saying last December when the Saudi win was confirmed "after what I see, I'm more convinced that 2034 will be the best World Cup ever."
Ronaldo is set to play at a record sixth edition of the World Cup next year after Portugal qualified Sunday for the tournament co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. However, he likely will be banned by FIFA for Portugal's first game next June after getting his first red card last week in 23 seasons playing for the national team.
Portugal will learn its World Cup opponents on December 5 at the tournament draw, which Trump is set to attend at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
Trump has closely aligned himself with the 2026 World Cup. In the Oval Office he has a copy of the golden trophy loaned to him by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
