Cristiano Ronaldo makes White House debut alongside Saudi Crown Prince photo / video

Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo attended a black-tie dinner at the White House on night of November 18 alongside Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader.

Speaking ahead of the event, U.S. President Donald Trump described it as an "honour" to host Ronaldo. The Portuguese star’s high-profile role in the Saudi football league has made him a prominent figure in the country’s modernisation efforts under Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

The crown prince has sought to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil revenues by expanding into sectors such as sports and tourism.

A White House official confirmed earlier in the day that Ronaldo would attend the dinner, although it was not specified whether he was formally part of bin Salman’s delegation.

During his remarks at the event, Trump praised the growing ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia, describing the kingdom as a “major non-NATO ally.” Earlier in the day, he hosted the crown prince in the Oval Office.

Turning to Ronaldo, Trump told guests: “My son is a big fan of Ronaldo. And Baron got to meet him, and I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.”

The dinner was also attended by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who joined other influential business leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook. This marked Musk’s first visit to the White House since leaving his role as head of the Trump administration’s Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) in April.

By Tamilla Hasanova