Cristiano Ronaldo made his first known visit to the United States since 2016 and went to the White House, where he met US President Donald Trump. His visit had nothing to do with football, however, but with politics: he went there as an unofficial "ambassador" for Saudi Arabia, accompanying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
As CNN reports, it couldn't be classified as an official visit, because Mohammed bin Salman is not Saudi Arabia head of state, but acts as Crown Prince and Prime Minister as the seventh son of the still monarch Salman of Saudi Arabia.
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Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League, is one of the more popular faces currently living in the Arab country, with many critics saying that it's using sports, as well as other entertainment ventures, as a way to clean their reputation with the rest of the world.
The dinner was attended also by Elon Musk, in his first visit at the White House since he was removed from the Trump's administration last April. According to BBC, Trump said that his son Barron is a big fan of Ronaldo, and now he respects him more as a father after introducing him to the player.
Cristiano Ronaldo will return to the US for the World Cup next year
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's most renowned football starts, and also the wealthiest by a large margin, left European football (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus) in 2023 and joined Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where he reportedly earns $200m per year, and has a contract until 2027.
He is also set to play World Cup next year with Portugal, but awaits verdict from FIFA after a red card he received last week. That will mean a return to United States, co-host of the World Cup, playing for the first time since 2014, where he played a friendly with Real Madrid vs. Manchester United. Ronaldo was once accused of rape by a woman in Las Vegas in 2009, although there were never charges against him by the local authorities.