 "Cristiano Ronaldo made a rare visit to the USA as he was part of the White House dinner on Tuesday. Image: Reuters")
Cristiano Ronaldo finally visited the USA, as he was part of a lavish White House dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for the visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. Ronaldo, who has been accused of raping a woman at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009, last played in the USA in 2014.
In 2017, German news magazine Der Spiegel alleged that the Portuguese football superstar had paid USD 375,000 to a woman who had accused him of rape. Ronaldo’s lawyers have claimed that it was consensual sex and their client doesn’t face any criminal charges.
Trump praises Ronaldo as footballer returns to US
Nonetheless, Ronaldo has consistently avoided visiting the US since the media reports, with many claiming that he is afraid of litigation. He, however, was back in the country as the Saudi Crown Prince visited the White House.
Ronaldo currently resides in Saudi Arabia and plays for Riyadh-based club Al Nassr. He signed a new two-year deal with the club earlier this year.
The footballer received massive praise from Trump before the dinner, as the President revealed that his son Barron is a big Ronaldo fan.
“You know, my son is a big fan of Ronaldo,” Trump said. “I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.”
He was seated near the front of the East Room during the dinner.
Ronaldo, however, was not the only big football personality in the room. The dinner was also attended by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, who has been quite frequent at the White House in recent years. The USA are co-hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Also present at the dinner was billionaire Elon Musk, who had recently had a fallout with Trump, but it seems the rift has since healed.
Musk was very close to Trump after he became the President again, heading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship soured after he criticised Trump’s “big, beautiful” spending bill. He had also remarked that Trump’s name was present in the investigatory files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.