Cristiano Ronaldo attends dinner at the White House with US President Donald Trump

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was at the White House when President Donald Trump hosted a glitzy dinner in honor of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Portuguese forward sat near the front of the East Room, not far from where the president and crown prince delivered remarks to officials from both countries on Tuesday, along with major business leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla founder Elon Musk.

Trump made a point in his speech to acknowledge Ronaldo, whom he said he introduced to his teenage son.

Ronaldo has been the face of the Saudi Pro League since joining Al-Nassr at the end of 2022 on a contract reportedly worth $200 million per year.

The 40-year-old icon signed a two-year extension in June with Nassr, which is majority owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund chaired by the crown prince.

Trump thanked the athlete for his presence. He said his youngest son, Barron, is a “big fan” of Ronaldo and the 19-year-old was impressed to meet the footballer.

«Barron got to meet him. And I think he respects his father a little bit more now just from the fact that I introduced you,» Trump said.

It was a rare visit to the US for Ronaldo, who has not played in the country since 2014.

In 2017, German news magazine The mirror reported that years earlier, Ronaldo had 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 that the sex was consensual and that no criminal charges were ever filed.

Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup after FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, shaped an accelerated bidding process two years ago that ensured no rival bid emerged.

Ronaldo promoted that bid, saying last December, when the Saudi victory was confirmed, «after what I see, I am more convinced that 2034 will be the best World Cup ever.»

Ronaldo will play in a record sixth edition of the World Cup next year after Portugal qualified on Sunday for the tournament co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. However, he is likely to be ruled out by FIFA for Portugal’s first match in June next year after receiving his first red card in 23 seasons playing for the national team last week.

Portugal will get to know their World Cup opponents on December 5 during the tournament draw, which Trump will 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 gold trophy lent to him by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Published on November 19, 2025