Anna Rose Layden / EPA
Cristiano Ronaldo at the White House
The North American president praised the Portuguese player, at a dinner that was marked by a tribute to the Saudi prince.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his fiancée, Georgina Rodríguez, were present this Tuesday at a gala organized by Donald Trumpat the White House, in honor of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
The couple’s arrival at the Hall triggered an immediate wave of attention, with guests raising their cell phones to capture the moment. Although Ronaldo and Georgina have not yet published photographs of the event, several images are already circulating, including a selfie that brings together the couple, Elon Musk, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, investor David Sacks and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Shared by Sacks with the caption “big night”, the photograph went viral.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Elon Musk, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Georgina Rodriguez and more in new selfie from the White House.
— Pop Base (@PopBase)
Ronaldo’s presence at the White House also marks his return to an official event on North American soil, something that has not happened since 2017. Recently, the player declared that he admires Donald Trump, stating in an interview with Piers Morgan that he considers him someone capable of “making things happen” and that he would like to meet with the American president.
During his speech, Trump did not hesitate to mention the Portuguese player, drawing laughter when he revealed that his son Barron is “a big fan” of his. “My son is a big fan of Ronaldo. He had the opportunity to meet him and I think he respects me a little more now, just for introducing him to him. I want to thank you for being here”, he said, with Ronaldo discreetly thanking him for the compliment, reinforcing the relaxed atmosphere of the evening.
“No need to embarrass our guests”
Despite the media prominence that accompanied CR7’s presence, the political focus of the gala was the tribute to Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump announced the formalization of Saudi Arabia as “important non-NATO ally” and welcomed the fact that the two countries are “always on the same side” on all issues.
The North American head of state also praised the prince’s work “in terms of human rights” and was called upon to address one of the most controversial cases that follows the controversial Saudi prince: the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It is recalled that Khashoggi, a journalist critical of the Saudi government, was murdered in 2018 at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, with his body being dismembered and discarded in a way that was never disclosed.
Since then, rumors and accusations have been circulating that the order to kill Khashoggi was given directly by the Saudi princethis being the conclusion of a report by the US intelligence agencies themselves. However, Trump quickly dismissed this suspicion as “fake news.”
“Are you mentioning someone [Jamal Khashoggi] which was extremely controversial. Many people didn’t like the man you’re talking about. Things happened, but he [Mohammed bin Salman] I didn’t know anything. And we can leave it like that. No need to embarrass our guests with questions like that,” Trump retorted when asked about the case.
Bin Salman also stated that it is “painful” to hear about the journalist’s death and guarantees that his government “took all the right steps in the investigation”. “We improved our system to ensure nothing happened like this. It’s very painful and a huge mistake“, he declared.
Regarding the suspicions of Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the September 11 attacks, the prince states that it was all just a plan by terrorists to create a rift with the United States because the alliance between the two countries is “bad for extremism“. “The reality, based on CIA documents, is that Osama bin Laden used Saudi people for one purpose: to destroy the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia”, he considers.
The Saudi leader also promised that he will invest more in investment in the United Statesanticipating an increase from the current 600 billion dollars to up to one billion in the near future.
“That’s great,” Trump said, adding, “I appreciate it.”
Is Ronaldo washing the image of the Saudi government?
Ever since he went to Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has been accused of helping to wash the image of the Saudi government, but criticism increased in tone with his presence at an event with such clear political contours and which included a direct tribute to the crown prince.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a player with a huge record, known all over the world, a global icon, five times best player in the world according to FIFA, he didn’t need any of this, did not need to associate with a government which has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations”, considers João Nuno Assunção, editor of the International section of .
The football player was treated “as a representative of a kingdom, because he, naturally, being a global icon and with the visibility and exposure he has, is being paid and used for that”, concludes the SIC journalist, who reinforces that Ronaldo “didn’t need be whitewashing a regime that persecutes opponents“.
Tiago André Lopes, university professor and commentator on , shares the same opinion. “Even if Ronaldo says this is a private visit because he showed interest in meeting Trump, it is a private visit in which he is being instrumentalized by Saudi Arabia to do sportswashing and wash Salman’s international image”, he says.
“It’s also interesting that the interview he gave to Piers Morgan was the first time he showed interest in a political leader. It’s risky because it will lose the interest of the heavily Democratic American public; they will immediately attach it to Donald Trump. And it may lose the interest of some more liberal or depoliticized public opinion”, concludes the analyst.
