A white house black tie dinner Tuesday night turned into a very spontaneous portrait of the contemporary political landscape where the worlds of celebrity and politics and technology and money come together in less and less smooth fashion.
Before the entry of Donald Trump, the camera switched between Elon Musk and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. At that point, they retracted, and there was Cristiano Ronaldo, sitting within the distance of steps of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The football legend had secretly travelled across the Atlantic to be in the intimate gala, and it left the observers and reporters in a dilemma. The attendance of Ronaldo left eyebrows raised all over the world with the presence of AI executives, political heavy weights, billionaires and the Saudi royalty in the attendance. Why was the Portuguese striker even present in such an event?
The solution, according to analysts, is Saudi Arabia strategy of expanding influences. Ronaldo, who is currently a prominent personality in Saudi sports under Al Nassr, a club owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, has become an unofficial Saudi soft power ambassador.
The decision to send him to the Crown Prince was another indication of Riyadh feeling more at ease in the international arena, despite earlier that day, the ongoing investigation of the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashegger.
Trump brought Mohammed bin Salman as a great friend with vision and courage, which strengthened an apparent warm relationship. Ronaldo, who was a member of the other global elites, is seen chatting away near by. Theories were circulated: Was it to talk about the 2026 World Cup, a possible ban or an expanded political agenda? Or was he only being what the Kingdom needed to mark the cultural legitimacy?
