Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday — the same day Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits for a full day of events with the president, two White House officials told CNN.
Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League, has scored 143 international goals for Portugal and is the first male player to score at five World Cups. Earlier this year, he became the sport’s first billionaire player following a contract he signed with Al Nassr, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Ronaldo’s trip to the White House comes as Trump plans to welcome the Saudi prince with all the trappings of a state visit, including a welcome ceremony and formal dinner.
The visit cannot be classified as an official state visit, however, as Prince bin Salman is not Saudi Arabia’s head of state. It will include a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and lunch.
This is the crown prince’s first trip to the White House in more than seven years and the first since the 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. A CIA assessment released afterward found the prince had likely ordered the assassination, though he has long denied any involvement.
The occasion also appears to be a rare visit to the US for Ronaldo. He last played in the US in August 2014, when he played for European giant Real Madrid against another of his former clubs, Manchester United, on a summer preseason tour in Michigan.
