Sheikh Hamdan and star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo meet in Dubai

He is widely regarded as footballing royalty, so a meeting with the Crown Prince of Dubai was the perfect match for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Juventus player kicked off a social media storm on Wednesday when he posed for a snap with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed during his high-profile visit to Dubai. The Crown Prince of Dubai, known as @Faz3 on Instagram, posted a photo of the duo and called Ronaldo "a great player and a greater friend". Ronaldo, known as @Cristiano on Instagram, posted a slightly different photo, showing the Crown Prince giving the thumbs-up sign, while Ronaldo pointed back at him. Ronaldo also shared kind sentiments with the photo. "Great time with @Faz3," he wrote, before adding a #MyDubai hashtag. Ronaldo has been in the UAE in recent days and is slated to appear at the Globe Soccer Awards at Madinat Jumeirah on Thursday night. He welcomed 2019 by taking in the city's spectacular fireworks and lightshow after taking in some sunshine aboard a luxury boat. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward has been making the most of the winter break enjoyed by clubs in Italy's Serie A to jet off for a fun-packed trip to the emirate. _______________ Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo takes a helicopter ride over Dubai Cristiano Ronaldo coming to Dubai for Globe Soccer Awards WATCH: Ronaldo Jr follows in father's footsteps with brilliant double for Juventus youth team Like father like son: Raheem Sterling's one-year-old boy impresses with football skills Aref Al Awani: 'Legacy' for UAE football will come from Asian Cup

Sheikh Hamdan and star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo meet in Dubai

The Crown Prince of Dubai calls Ronaldo "a great player and a greater friend"