Washington DC – Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and far-right billionaire Elon Musk were among the guests at a lavish White House dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for the visiting Saudi crown prince on Tuesday.
Ronaldo plays for Saudi club Al Nassr, one of a number of aging players who have been attracted to the desert kingdom’s heavy spending on stars despite its atrocious human rights record.
The 40-year-old, whose contract with the Saudi club ends this summer, took his place near the head of Trump’s table a few seconds before the president and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman entered.
“You know, my son is a big fan of Ronaldo,” Trump said in his pre-dinner speech, revealing that 19-year-old Barron got to meet the legendary player.
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“I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.”
Ronaldo was not the only soccer-related dinner guest, as FIFA chief Gianni Infantino made yet another appearance at the White House ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the US is co-hosting.
Also at the black-tie dinner was SpaceX and Tesla chief Musk, in a sign that the rift between the president and the world’s richest man has healed after their fiery public divorce.
Wearing a tuxedo, he was seen chatting to fellow guests at a candlelit table, although a different one from Trump’s.
During the dinner Trump also praised the Saudi prince as a “man of leadership,” having earlier defended his royal visitor over the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
