United States President, Donald Trump, has revealed that his son is an avid admirer of Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, according to the New York Times.
Ronaldo was among the high-profile guests at a black-tie dinner held at the White House on Tuesday, joining Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as well as numerous billionaires and influential business figures.
Opening the event, Trump noted that he had met Ronaldo earlier and introduced the former Real Madrid star to his son, Barron, who once played football.
“My son is a big fan of Ronaldo — wherever Ronaldo is here,” Trump said at a lectern. “And Barron got to meet him, and I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.”
“So, I just want to thank you both for being here.”
Ronaldo was the first non-political figure Trump mentioned among what he described as a room filled with global heavyweights from business and sports.
While the exact purpose of Ronaldo’s visit to Washington remained unclear, it aligned with Bin Salman’s White House trip, which featured a series of bilateral engagements and ceremonial activities.
The dinner marked the Crown Prince’s first U.S. visit since the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives.
Considered one of the world’s most recognizable athletes, Ronaldo has forged strong connections with Saudi Arabia, becoming the leading face of the country’s professional football league. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has invested billions through state funding to lure top football stars.
Ronaldo currently plays for Al Nassr, a Saudi Pro League club owned by the nation’s sovereign wealth entity, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
His record-breaking contracts, signed in 2023 and again in 2025, have also made him an informal ambassador for the Kingdom. In a recent conversation with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo referred to Bin Salman as “our boss.”
