Cristiano Ronaldo Buys 25% Stake in Spanish Club Almería

Cristiano Ronaldo has become a co-owner of Spanish second-division club UD Almería after acquiring a 25% stake in the club.

The Al Nassr forward, 41, purchased the shares through his newly formed company, CR7 Sports Investments. Almería remains majority-owned by a Saudi-led investment consortium headed by Mohammed Al-Khereiji. The financial terms of Ronaldo’s deal were not disclosed.

In a statement announcing the move, Ronaldo said he is eager to work with the club’s leadership as it enters what he described as the next stage of its development. 

He added that he has long wanted to contribute to football beyond playing, and pointed to Almería as a club with strong foundations and clear room to grow.

Al-Khereiji welcomed Ronaldo’s involvement, describing him as a figure with deep knowledge of Spanish football and a strong understanding of the club’s ambitions, including plans connected to the first team and the academy.

Almería was acquired last year by Al-Khereiji’s SMC Group, which bought the club from Turki Al-Sheikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.

Ronaldo is closely tied to Spanish football after spending nine seasons at Real Madrid, where he won two La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies before moving to Juventus in 2018. 

He has played in the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr since 2022, and reports have described him as the highest-paid player in football, with an annual salary of £177 million.