Rhianna Benson
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has found himself in hot water this week, after posing for a group photo at the White House.
The 40-year-old sportsman was joined by fiancée Georgina Rodríguez at the presidential residence on Tuesday evening (18 November), for a black-tie get-together with Donald and Melania Trump.
The US leader also hosted the likes of Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The latter's visit marks his first since stepping down from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) role in April, which resulted in a heated online row with the president.
Ronaldo's visit also coincided with Trump's recent welcoming of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington D.C., who reportedly seeks to limit his country's dependence on revenue brought in from oil, and branch out further in sport and tourism.
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As a reminder, the forward player's principle role in the Saudi football league - having captained Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr - has seen him becoming quite the spokesperson for the Middle Eastern nation.
Trump told guests at the event: "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've introduced you."
He went on to tell the Manchester United star: "Thank you for being here, it's an honour."
Apparently, Trump's sentiment went both ways, with Ronaldo previously describing the Republican as 'one of the guys who can help change the world'.
To mark the special occasion, the footballer posed for a selfie alongside a number of attendees - including his wife-to-be, Musk, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, entrepreneur David Sacks and a number of Trump admin officials.
Unfortunately for Ronaldo, however, the group snap hasn't gone down too well with a number of onlookers, some of whom have pledged to stop following his career as a result of his apparent right-wing political affiliation.
After the selfie was shared on Instagram, one critic hit out: "Welp, I won't be buying any of that merch for my son this year. L."
Another predicted: "Bro just lost a ton of fans."
A third described the photo as 'pretty sad', while a fourth continued: "Well he just lost all my respect and he was one of my favorites. At the end of the day, your morals are horrendous and I truly hope your selfie was worth it. Bye."
Someone else also claimed that the snap wouldn't age well, adding: "Ronaldo just lost his fan base and popularity."
Tyla has contacted representatives of Ronaldo for comment.