Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is to visit the White House on Tuesday, a US official has confirmed - the same day as the leader of Saudi Arabia where the Portuguese currently plays the game, BBC reported.

The White House official did not say Ronaldo was part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's official delegation.

However his starring role in the Saudi football league has seen him become a face of the country's modernisation drive under the crown prince, the country's de-facto ruler, who wants to reduce the country's dependence on oil revenues by diversifying into other areas including sports and tourism, according to BBC.