{"id":103886,"date":"2025-11-19T04:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T04:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=103886"},"modified":"2025-11-19T04:35:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T04:35:00","slug":"cristiano-ronaldo-attends-white-house-dinner-alongside-saudi-crown-prince","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=103886","title":{"rendered":"Cristiano Ronaldo attends White House dinner alongside Saudi crown prince"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo attended a White House black-tie dinner alongside the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

Speaking ahead of the event, Trump said it was an \u201chonour\u201d to host Ronaldo, whose starring role in the Saudi football league has seen him become a face of the country\u2019s modernisation drive under the crown prince.<\/p>\n

Bin Salman wants to reduce the country\u2019s dependence on oil revenues by diversifying into other areas, including sports and tourism.<\/p>\n

A White House official confirmed earlier in the day that Ronaldo would attend, but did not say if he was part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman\u2019s official delegation.<\/p>\n

Trump used his speech at the dinner to praise closer ties with Saudi Arabia, labelling the country a \u201cmajor non-NATO ally\u201d. Earlier in the day, Trump hosted the Saudi crown prince in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n

Turning to the Portuguese soccer star, Trump told the gathered guests: \u201cMy son is a big fan of Ronaldo\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Baron (Trump) got to meet him, and I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 Musk has been\u00a0to the White House since stepping down as the head of the Trump administration\u2019s\u00a0Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) in April.<\/p>\n

A dramatic feud between Trump and the Tesla tycoon\u00a0played out publicly for months, and included Musk announcing that he would set up\u00a0a new political party.<\/p>\n

Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s attendance at the White House, meanwhile. marks one of his first known visits to the US since 2016.<\/p>\n

In the interim, he has faced an allegation of sexual assault. Kathryn Mayorga alleged that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009, which he denied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in,\u201d he said in a statement in 2018.<\/p>\n

In 2019, US prosecutors said Ronaldo would not face charges because the claims could not be proven.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 the football club owned by sovereign wealth fund PIF, which is chaired by the crown prince.<\/p>\n

In an industry where players are paid extraordinary amounts of money, Ronaldo\u2019s pay deal with Saudi Arabia was astronomical. The footballer was reportedly paid $200m (\u00a3152m) a year \u2013 or more than half a million dollars a day.<\/p>\n

Then in June this year, he signed a new two-year deal for a reported total of $400m (\u00a3300m) and\u00a0became football\u2019s first billionaire player,\u00a0according to Bloomberg, with a net worth of $1.4bn.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of money for a 40-year-old footballer in the twilight of his career.<\/p>\n

But, according to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House, Saudi Arabia has \u201cinvested heavily in high-profile events and individuals to put the kingdom on the map\u201d in terms of sports and tourism in its quest for modernism.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo has referred to Prince Mohammed as \u201cour boss\u201d in an interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, he appeared at a Ministry of Tourism event in Riyadh, where he talked up the kingdom\u2019s development projects and his hopes for the 2034 FIFA World Cup being held in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

As for meeting Trump, Vakil says: \u201cThe US president likes shiny things and Ronaldo is a shiny thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the footballer has loftier ambitions for the meeting in Washington \u2013 world peace.<\/p>\n

In July, European Council president Antonio Costa handed Trump a Portugal jersey signed by Ronaldo which read: \u201cTo president Donald J. Trump, Playing for Peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told Morgan: \u201cI hope to sit down with him someday because he\u2019s one of those people I really like.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he can make things happen and I respect people like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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