When Ronaldo met Trump: What happened at the legendary “GOATS” summit

Sports Weekly Full Media Original

"Two GOATs." The official social media account of the White House explained the scene of Cristiano Ronaldo and Trump chatting and laughing. This is one of the narratives surrounding Ronaldo’s visit to the White House.

Another narrative goes in the opposite direction. At a dinner hosted by the White House for the Saudi delegation led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, the scene brought together the President of the United States, Saudi real leaders, and political and business tycoons such as Musk, Huang Jensen, and Cook. Ronaldo was not that important on this occasion. Rather than Musk appearing in Ronaldo's selfie, Americans may be more concerned about Musk's return to the White House for the first time since his relationship with Trump broke down.

Someone on social media lamented: "This is probably the first time you have seen that Cristiano Ronaldo is not the center of attention in a room full of people. No one picked up their mobile phones to take pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo, and no one screamed at him. He was in the room like an ordinary person. The British media said even more harshly, "Here, this football legend is no longer the highest-ranking person. On the contrary, he is one of the lowest-ranking people."

However, Ronaldo is special after all. In his speech, Trump said that he was honored to have Ronaldo come to support him. He said that his 19-year-old son Barron Trump is a super fan of Ronaldo and he respects his father more now because his father invited Ronaldo to him. Barron entered D.C. United's youth academy at the age of 11, but did not eventually become a professional player. Barron is over 2 meters tall, "which is on the high side among football players." Trump also mentioned his son's relationship with football a few months ago, "You have to be very good to play football."

Ronaldo has been playing football in Saudi Arabia for nearly three years. Saudi Arabia regards him as a business card, and he is willing to stand up for Saudi Arabia. Not long ago, in an exclusive interview with "Number One Romee" Piers Morgan, he repeatedly referred to Crown Prince Mohammed as "our boss." It is a natural choice for the Crown Prince to bring Ronaldo with him when he visits the United States. Ronaldo did not hide his admiration for Trump. He once told Morgan, a "Sichuan fan", that he prayed for world peace and that he hoped to exchange ideas with Trump. "I hope to meet Trump one day. He is a person who can accomplish things. I like this kind of person."

Others view Ronaldo's visit to the United States from the perspective of conspiracy theories. Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing an opponent in the penultimate round of the World Cup preliminaries against Ireland. If FIFA imposes the most conventional penalty of suspension of three games on him, Cristiano Ronaldo will be suspended in the first two rounds of the World Cup group stage. FIFA President Infantino also came to the White House dinner. What will Ronaldo use this opportunity to say to him? During his Oval Office exchange with Trump, did Ronaldo mention that he might miss the initial stages of the World Cup? How will Trump, who likes pomp and admires power, react to the news? Getting a red card in a World Cup preliminaries, but having to be suspended from the World Cup more than half a year later, is this something very stupid in Trump’s eyes? Will he tell his little brother Infantino not to do stupid things?

Another speculation is more sinister. Almost all major Western media have mentioned this incident: This is Ronaldo's first public appearance on American soil in eight years after the "rape case" in Las Vegas. In these years, Ronaldo has never gone to the United States to participate in any pre-season games or friendly matches. Regarding that incident, Ronaldo has always strongly denied the accusation, and the case was dismissed by the judge in 2022 because the prosecution lawyer used leaked and stolen evidence. Now, as the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico approaches, Ronaldo's Portugal team will also participate in a warm-up match in Atlanta, United States, in March next year. The trip to the White House became a warm-up for Cristiano Ronaldo's first safe trip to the United States.

The trip was very pleasant. Cristiano Ronaldo wrote on social media: "Thank you, Mr. President, for your invitation, and for the warm reception you and the First Lady gave me and my fiancée. We can all make useful contributions, and I am ready to do my part. We are committed to inspiring a new generation to build a future defined by courage, responsibility and lasting peace."

It seems that a man who believes that he is the greatest president in the history of the United States and a man who believes that he is the greatest player in the history of football have collided with wonderful sparks.