After more than a decade, Cristiano Ronaldo returns to American soil, being expected today at the White House by President Donald Trump.
Donald Trump will welcome Cristiano Ronaldo to the White House PHOTO Profimedia
The visit of the Portuguese star, who currently plays for Al Nassr and the Portuguese national team, comes on the same day that Washington also welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Saudi club’s patron through the State Investment Fund.
CR7’s last appearance in the United States was in August 2014, when he was still playing for Real Madrid. Since then, the Portuguese star has avoided all the American tournaments of the clubs he represented: Juventus, Manchester United or Al Nassr.
His absence from American soil was also linked to the investigation Ronaldo was involved in in the US after former model Kathryn Mayorga accused him of rape in 2009.
The Portuguese initially paid $375,000 for a non-disclosure agreement, and Mayorga’s complaint was later dismissed by US courts, including on appeal.
CR7, official meeting with Donald Trump
In a recent interview with journalist Piers Morgan, the Portuguese said that Trump is “one of the people who can change the world” and that he wants to have a discussion with Cristiano Ronaldo, either in Saudi Arabia or in the United States.
His gesture is also supported by the previous moment in July, when Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, presented Trump with a T-shirt signed by the Portuguese, with the message “President Donald J. Trump, who “plays” for peace“.
In terms of sports, the visit also prepares the return of the Portuguese on American soil. The U.S. and Portugal soccer federations have tentatively set a friendly in Atlanta for March 2026 as part of the build-up to the World Cup, which the United States will host next year.
