As he traipsed through the East Room of the White House, slowly making his way past a powerful assortment of billionaires, business moguls and Saudi royals, an unfamiliar sensation would have passed through Cristiano Ronaldo before he took his seat at Donald Trump‘s glitzy Washington dinner on Tuesday night.
Here, while almost dwarfed by some of the most important figures on the planet, at an event hosted by the most high-ranking of them all, the soccer legend was, for once, not the top dog in the room.
In fact, he was arguably one of the smallest. And by far the most out of place.
In a video circulating on social media Ronaldo, with wife Georgina Rodriguez in front of him, is seen walking to his table before the black-tie dinner, barely turning a head in the process.
The five-time Champions League winner and global superstar was afforded a rare type of obscurity and normality he would not have experienced since his childhood in Portugal.
He then perched himself a few feet away from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a room packed with the ‘biggest leaders’ on earth, according to Trump.
Quite simply, it begged the question of what on earth Ronaldo, a sporting world titan, was doing in the presence of American politicians and tech execs after a meeting between the Crown Prince and President of the United States.
Cristiano Ronaldo was invited to Donald Trump’s black-tie dinner at the White House Tuesday
The soccer legend was in the company of some of the most high-ranking figures on the globe
There are several theories aside from the obvious idea he merely grasped the chance to meet Trump and take some cool photos for his socials, and the majority of them allege Ronaldo is cozying up to the president while in need of a favor.
After he was sent off in Portugal’s World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland last week, some have suggested CR7 is on a mission to ensure FIFA does not suspend him at next summer’s tournament, which is being held in the US as well as neighboring Canada and Mexico.
If he is handed a multiple-game suspension, as is typically the case for a straight red card, he would miss Portugal’s opening two matches at the World Cup in 2026.
Given Trump is best buddies with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was also present for Tuesday’s dinner, it doesn’t take a hardcore conspiracist to put two and two together.
There is also the darker elephant in the room of Ronaldo’s alleged rape of an American school teacher 16 years ago in Las Vegas.
Tuesday’s appearance at the White House was his first public outing in the US since he was hit with the accusations by Kathryn Mayorga in 2017, which he has always vehemently denied. Ronaldo has also never been charged.
Revealing details of the alleged sexual assault in a 2017 interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel, Mayorga claimed Ronaldo raped her at a hotel in 2009.
She had reportedly reached an out-of-court settlement with him in 2010, but spoke out with her accusations seven years later in an effort to seek millions more than the $375,000 sum she had received.
The lawsuit against Ronaldo was dismissed by a US judge in 2022 because the accuser’s lawyer relied on leaked and stolen records.
Ronaldo took a selfie with a large group of execs, which included Elon Musk, at the dinner
He may well have been in attendance to cozy up to Trump in a bid to avoid a World Cup suspension after his sending off against Ireland last week (pictured)
Given he is buddies with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, the President could provide a helping hand
Ronaldo was invited into the Oval Office by Trump after heading to Washington D.C.
But since 2017, he 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.
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 US. Ronaldo, who is the captain of his country, is also scheduled to play in Atlanta next March in a friendly.
The more cynical of observers may conclude that in publicly fawning over Trump, a man he recently championed as ‘one of the guys who can make things happen’, Ronaldo is seeking assurance he will be free to travel throughout the US in 2026.
With that being said, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could have attended out of admiration for Trump alone.
Earlier this month he spoke of his desire to cross paths with the President after the recently negotiated historic peace deal to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
‘I wish one day to meet him,’ Ronaldo told Piers Morgan, another ally of Trump’s. ‘Because he is one of the guys who can make things happen. And I like people like that.’
The 79-year-old returned the favor by admitting his son, Barron, is a ‘big fan’ of the Portugal legend and was impressed when his dad introduced him. ‘I think he respects his father a little more now,’ Trump joked on Tuesday.
While his high regard for Trump is clear, Ronaldo’s attendance in Washington could also simply be put down to his unofficial role as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia.
When he signed for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr – which is owned by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund – on a staggering $457million contract, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was acquired as both a soccer player and, as some claim, a sportswashing instrument for the country.
Ronaldo may also be seeking assurances that he won’t be punished over allegations he raped an American woman in 2009. He has never been charged and vehemently denies wrongdoing
During his speech, Trump revealed that the soccer star met his 19-year-old son Barron
Saudi officials have attempted to cleanse their human-rights image through the power of sports more and more over the past decade, most prominently in soccer, boxing and golf. Darts, snooker, Formula One and tennis have also received the sportwashing treatment in recent years.
Ronaldo, who penned a new $643million deal with Al-Nassr, was possibly brought to Washington by Bin Salman as a way of showing off its cleansed new image.
After all, he did refer to Bin Salman as ‘our boss’ during his interview with Morgan.
Ronaldo aligning himself so emphatically with the Saudi regime is perhaps unsurprising from a man who once claimed he had turned down the Middle Eastern riches on offer to continue operating at the highest level, only to gobble them up a month later.
He has proven at this stage of his career that money is indeed a driving force in the decision he makes. His net worth already exceeds $1billion, but one of the sport’s all-time greats hardly moved to Saudi Arabia for the competitive thrill.
Not long before Ronaldo took his seat in the company of several Trump-beckoned bigwigs, the President and Bin Salman were grilled by a reporter in the Oval Office about the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, which the CIA later said the Saudi Crown Prince had ordered. Bin Salman has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Ronaldo, who calls Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) ‘boss’, is also somewhat of an ambassador for Saudi
His schmoozing is another example of sport and politics being more entangled than ever
‘You’re mentioning someone that was extremely controversial,’ Trump said about Khashoggi.
‘A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.’
‘But he [Bin Salman] knew nothing about it.’
Whatever the true reason, Ronaldo’s schmoozing in Washington sees the worlds of sport and politics becoming more entangled than ever.
