Cristiano Ronaldo’s appearance at a White House dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump has triggered an online backlash after a widely shared selfie showed the footballer posing with Elon Musk and other high profile figures during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington.
The Portugal captain, now 40 and playing for Saudi club Al Nassr, travelled to the United States as part of the Saudi delegation for Tuesday’s events, which marked Mohammed bin Salman’s first trip to the White House since the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump welcomed the crown prince with an elaborate programme that included a ceremonial arrival, an Oval Office meeting and a formal black tie dinner in the East Room.
Ronaldo arrived at the evening reception with his fiancée Georgina Rodríguez, wearing a black tuxedo and taking a prominent seat among political and business leaders. Reports from the event state that he was placed near Tesla and X owner Elon Musk and United States Vice President JD Vance, with other guests including Apple chief executive Tim Cook and senior members of Trump’s cabinet.
The moment that pushed the gathering into global trending columns came later, when technology investor David Sacks posted a selfie that Ronaldo had taken. In the photograph, the forward holds a phone at arm’s length while Musk leans in at his side. Also visible are Sacks himself, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Rodríguez and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, with the White House’s ornate interior in the background. Sacks captioned the image “Great night!” and the picture quickly circulated across X and other platforms.