Cristiano Ronaldo is now more than an active football player: he is also a part owner of a football club after the Portuguese legend purchased a 25 per cent stake in Spanish second-division club Almeria. The club has a Saudi Arabian owner, Mohamed Al Khereiji, through his business holding SMC Group. Ronaldo has been playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League since 2022. Ronaldo boasts a decent record against the club he is now the co-owner of: he played seven times against Almeria while he was a Real Madrid player, and scored seven goals. He also featured in a friendly fixture with Al Nassr in the summer, losing 3-2. “lt has been a long-held ambition of mine to contribute to football, beyond just on the pitch,” Ronaldo said in a statement. “Almería is a Spanish club with strong foundations and clear potential for growth. I look forward to working alongside the leadership team to support the next phase of the club’s growth.” The financial details of Ronaldo’s investment into the club were not disclosed. Almeria are currently in third place in Spain’s second division. The club was in the first division as recently as in 2023-24. The club, in a post on social media, said that Ronaldo has acquired the stake in Almería through CR7 Sports Investments, a subsidiary of CR7 S.A. Almeria said that Ronaldo’s investment “marks a significant step in the continued expansion of both the club and the Portuguese businessman’s investment portfolio.” “We are very pleased that Cristiano has chosen to invest in our club. He is regarded as the greatest to ever play the game, he knows Spanish football very well and he understands the potential of what we are building here both in terms of the team and the academy,” Al Khereiji, who is also the President of Almeria, said in a statement.


