Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and X owner Elon Musk were among the guests at a lavish White House dinner hosted by United States President Donald Trump for the visiting Saudi crown prince on Tuesday night.
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 rights record.
The 40-year-old forward 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, adding that his 19-year-old son Barron got to meet the legendary player.
“I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you,” the president added.
Ronaldo was not the only soccer-related dinner guest, as FIFA President Gianni Infantino made another appearance at the White House ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting.
Ronaldo had said next year’s World Cup – for which Portugal booked their place on Sunday – will “definitely” be his last.
France clinch 2026 World Cup spot, Ronaldo sent off as Ireland stun Portugal
Also at the black-tie dinner was Space X and Tesla tycoon Musk, in a sign that the rift between the president and the world’s richest man has healed after their fiery public divorce.
South African-born Musk spent five months as head of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and accompanied Trump on a trip to Saudi Arabia in May.
But the relationship collapsed in July after Musk condemned Trump’s “big, beautiful” spending bill and then said that the president was in investigatory files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump responded by threatening Musk with deportation.
Musk, wearing a tuxedo, was seen chatting to fellow guests at a candlelit table – although a different one from Trump’s.
During the dinner Trump also lauded the Saudi prince as a “man of leadership,” having earlier defended his royal visitor over the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
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