Donald Trump heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo and detailed how the soccer legend called him to say thank you for showing him around the White House.

Ronaldo was last month invited to Washington DC for a star-studded dinner, with other guests including Elon Musk and the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman.

The 40-year-old Portugal star, who currently plays for Saudi side Al-Nassr, was then given a tour of the Oval Office by Trump.

On Saturday, the president sung Ronaldo's praises in a gushing post on Truth Social. 'Cristiano Ronaldo, the GREAT soccer (football!) player, just called to thank me to thank for his tour this week of the White House and Oval Office,' he wrote.

'What an incredible guy he is, not only as an athlete, but as a person. You don't get any better!!!' 

As revealed by the Daily Mail, Trump marked Ronaldo's trip to the Oval Office by gifting him a golden key to the White House.

It was the first time Ronaldo has been seen publicly in the US since a 2017 rape accusation from an American teacher, which he has always vehemently denied.

The 40-year-old was welcomed with open arms by Trump, who gave the him and his fiancee Georgina Rodrigez a tour of his office. 

The golden key is a rare and significant honor that is personal to Trump, who designed it himself, rather than convention for US Presidents. 

Elon Musk, former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Israel PM Bibi Netanyahu are among the other people to have received it.

In another picture from his trip, the soccer star was seen holding a model of a B-2 stealth bomber that Trump used to attack Iran's nuclear facilites in June.