Cristiano Ronaldo was a surprise guest at the White House dinner hosted by US President Donald John Trump for Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday evening.
It was not confirmed if Ronaldo was part of MbS' official delegation.
'My son is a big fan of Ronaldo. And Barron got to meet him and I think he respects his father a little bit more now that I have introduced you. Thank you for being here, it's an honor,' Trump said.
Ronaldo has made no secret of his admiration for Trump.
'I hope to sit down with him someday because he's one of those people I really like,' he told Piers Morgan recently.
'I think he can make things happen and I respect people like that.'
Ronaldo, who has scored over 950 goals for club and country, plays for the Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, which is majority owned by the kingdom's public investment fund.
The 40-year-old striker signed a new contract with Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.
Trump is hosting Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler as the latter seeks to rehabilitate his global image after the 2018 killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
This is Ronaldo's first visit to the US since 2016 where he faced an allegation of sexual assault in the past.
Kathryn Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit in September 2018 in a state court in Nevada accusing Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel penthouse suite in 2009, then paying her $375,000 in hush money.
The rape lawsuit was dismissed by a US judge because prosecutors said the claims could not be proven.
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