Ronaldo's pictures with Trump at the White House go viral as he thanks him for warm welcome

WASHINGTON, DC: Ronaldo’s picture with President Donald Trump is going viral as the football legend thanked him for the warm welcome as he attended the high-profile dinner hosted by the President in honor of the Saudi crown prince. Ronaldo shared the photos from the event, including the selfies with the president and notable others, as he expressed gratitude for the warm reception. 

The viral moment between Trump and Christiano Ronaldo

During a black-tie dinner hosted for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Portugal international and Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo met with President Trump at the White House. 

The soccer icon later took to Instagram to post a series of pictures with Trump, where he lauded the US president for his warm welcome.

"Thank you Mr President for your invitation and for the warm welcome you and the First Lady gave me and my future wife, @georginagio. Each of us has something meaningful to give, and I stand ready to do my part as we inspire new generations to build a future defined by courage, responsibility and lasting peace," wrote Ronaldo.

At the time of writing, the pic posted from the official handle of Ronaldo has now amassed over 17M likes on Instagram.

Trump thanks football legend Christiano Ronaldo

During the state dinner, Trump thanked Ronaldo for attending the event, adding that his youngest son, Barron, was a "big fan" of the footballer.

"Barron got to meet him. And I think he respects his father a little bit more, now, just the fact that I introduced you," Trump said. "So I just want to thank you both for being here. Thank you very much. Really an honour."

Trump also shared the pics on Truth Social, which has crossed 12M views.

Star-studded White House event had Christiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo was seated near the front of the East Room, not far from where the president and feet away from the Saudi Crown Prince amid a sea of American politicians and artificial intelligence CEOs, in a room which, according to Trump, was “loaded up with the biggest leaders in the world.”

Ronaldo also took a selfie with some of the world's most influential figures, including Elon Musk, which quickly went viral. 

Ronaldo, who has scored over 950 goals for club and country, is contracted to play for the Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr until 2027, which is majority owned by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund.