The iconic soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo captured a memorable selfie with Elon Musk and other influential personalities at a White House dinner hosted by former President Donald Trump.
Accompanied by his fiancée, Georgina Rodriguez, Ronaldo attended the lavish event in Washington D.C., held in honor of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
During the evening, Trump acknowledged the 40-year-old Ronaldo in his speech, as the gathering saw some of the wealthiest and most notable figures converge at the White House.
As the night progressed, tech entrepreneur and investor David Sacks shared a selfie taken by Ronaldo. The photo featured Sacks, Musk, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Rodriguez, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
“Great night!” Sacks captioned the photo, which was also shared by Lutnick on social media platforms.
Ronaldo, who currently plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, was part of the visiting delegation. Dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, he mingled with prominent figures such as Musk and Vice President JD Vance. The East Room event also included attendees like Donald Trump Jr., Secretary of State Marco Rubio, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Cristiano Ronaldo took a selfie alongside Elon Musk and many powerful figures in Washington
The soccer star was among the high-profile guests at a White House dinner on Tuesday night
Donald Trump welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington DC
It marked the soccer star’s first public appearance on US soil since being accused of rape by an American teacher in 2017.
‘This room is loaded up with the biggest leaders in the world – business, sports…’ Trump said. ‘My son is a big fan of Ronaldo… Barron got to meet him and I think he respects his father a little bit more now – just the fact that I introduced you.’
Tuesday also marked the first time that the Saudi Crown Prince has been in the United States since US intelligence claimed he approved the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Trump sensationally defended the Crown Prince when he was quizzed by a reporter on Khashoggi’s murder in the Oval Office earlier on Tuesday, scolding the question and, defying the US intelligence report which emerged during his first tenure as president, said Bin Salman ‘knew nothing about it’.
Meanwhile the 40-year-old Ronaldo, a player for Portugal and Al-Nassr, has not been photographed publicly in the USA since being accused of rape in 2017 by former American teacher Kathryn Mayorga.
Revealing details of the alleged sexual assault in a 2017 interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel, Mayorga claimed Ronaldo raped her at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.
The American woman had reportedly reached an out-of-court settlement with Ronaldo in 2010, but spoke out with her accusations seven years later in an effort to seek millions more than the $375,000 (£304,000) sum she had received.
The lawsuit against Ronaldo, who has consistently and vehemently denied the allegations, was dismissed by a US judge in 2022 because the accuser’s lawyer relied on leaked and stolen records.
But since 2017, Ronaldo has not been involved in any offseason or exhibition games staged in the US while playing for Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United and his current team.
Ronaldo sat near First Lady Melania Trump during the dinner in the White House East Room
During his speech, Trump revealed that the soccer star met his 19-year-old son Barron
The matter was thrown back into the spotlight on Sunday when Portugal clinched qualification for next summer’s World Cup, where the majority of the tournament is held in the United States. Ronaldo and his Portugal team are also scheduled to play the United States in Atlanta next March in a friendly.
Ronaldo has been making moves to appeal to Trump. In July, Trump was gifted a Portugal soccer jersey by Portuguese European Council president Antonio Costa. It was signed by Ronaldo, who wrote: ‘To president Donald J. Trump, Playing for Peace.’
And last week, in an interview with Trump’s old friend Piers Morgan, Ronaldo said he hoped to meet Trump and praised his peacemaking efforts.
‘He is one of the guys who can help to change the world,’ Ronaldo said. ‘One of the most important guys is the US President.
‘He is one of the guys I wish to meet to sit and have a nice talk. If it is here, or in the US, wherever he wants, I know he was here in Saudi with our boss MBS (Mohammed bin Salman).
‘I wish one day to meet him because he is one of the guys who can make things happen and I like people like that.’
Ronaldo’s visit to Washington came on the same day Congress voted almost unanimously to force the release of Justice Department files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
