In a recent high-profile event at the White House, President Donald Trump was seen in the company of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
The occasion was a lavish dinner hosted for a visiting delegation from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. This marked Ronaldo's first public appearance in the United States since he was accused of rape by an American teacher in 2017, a charge he has consistently and emphatically refuted.
According to the Daily Mail, the White House released a video on Wednesday morning showing Trump and Ronaldo walking side by side, accompanied by Ronaldo's fiance, Georgina Rodriguez. The caption accompanying the video read, 'Two GOATS,' followed by 'CR7 x 45/47'. The President also expressed his gratitude to Ronaldo for earning him additional admiration from his soccer-enthusiast son, Barron.
In a conversation with Ronaldo, Trump was reportedly heard saying, "He doesnt play at all. Its a shame, really. Its a great sport. You know, it takes a great player to play football." The context of 'football' in this conversation remains ambiguous, as Trump could be referring to either American football or soccer, given his known fondness for both sports. Ronaldo's laughter in response to Trump's comment suggests the latter.
During the dinner, Trump acknowledged the presence of influential leaders from various fields, including business and sports. He 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."
The event was attended by several high-profile individuals, including tech founder and investor David Sacks, Fifa president Gianni Infantino, U.S. secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick, and Elon Musk. Sacks shared a selfie from the event, taken by Ronaldo, which also featured Musk, Infantino, Rodriguez, and Lutnick. The picture was captioned, "Great night!"
Brooke Rollins, Trump's secretary of Agriculture, also expressed her excitement at meeting Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. She wrote, "OH, WHAT A NIGHT. Thank you, POTUS... for hosting the most lovely dinner - pure class from start to finish. So proud of our peacemaking, world-changing President Trump. (and sitting with the incredible @Cristiano and his amazing wife Gio was pretty special!!!)."
Ronaldo, currently playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, was part of the visiting delegation. The 40-year-old footballer was seen in a black tuxedo, seated alongside the likes of Musk and vice president JD Vance. Other attendees included Donald Trump Jr, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The event also marked the first visit of the Saudi Crown Prince to the United States since US intelligence claimed he approved the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. When questioned about Khashoggi's murder, Trump defended the Crown Prince, contradicting the US intelligence report and asserting that Bin Salman 'knew nothing about it'.
Ronaldo, who has been absent from the US public scene since the rape allegations in 2017, was accused by former American teacher Kathryn Mayorga. She claimed in a 2017 interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel that Ronaldo raped her at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.
Although the lawsuit against Ronaldo was dismissed by a US judge in 2022, the footballer has not participated in any offseason or exhibition games staged in the US while playing for Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United, and his current team.
The issue resurfaced recently when Portugal secured 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.
In the lead-up to Tuesday's encounter, Ronaldo had been making efforts to appeal to Trump. In July, Trump received a Portugal soccer jersey signed by Ronaldo from Portuguese European Council president Antonio Costa. The jersey bore the message, 'To president Donald J. Trump, Playing for Peace.'
In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, a close friend of Trump, Ronaldo expressed his desire to meet Trump and commended his peacemaking efforts. He said, "He is one of the guys who can help to change the world... 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."
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