Cristiano Ronaldo has officially entered the world of football ownership, acquiring a 25% stake in Spanish second division club UD Almería through his newly established CR7 Sports Investments.
The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward, who spent nine trophy-laden years at Real Madrid, described his investment as the fulfilment of a long-held ambition. In a statement, he said he was looking forward to working with the club’s leadership team “to support the next phase of the club’s growth.”
“It has been a long-held ambition of mine to contribute to football, beyond the pitch,” Ronaldo added. “UD Almería is a Spanish club with strong foundations and clear potential for growth.”
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The club is owned by a Saudi Arabian investment consortium led by Mohammed Al-Khereiji, whose SMC Group purchased the team last year from Turki Al-Sheikh. Al-Khereiji welcomed Ronaldo’s involvement, noting: “[Ronaldo] is regarded as the greatest to ever play the game, he knows the Spanish leagues very well and he understands the potential of what we are building here both in terms of the team and the academy.”
Ronaldo’s return to Spain in an ownership role comes years after he left Real Madrid in 2018 for Juventus and later joined Al-Nassr in 2022, where he currently earns a record-breaking £177 million annually.
Almería, founded in 1989, are currently third in the Segunda División, just two points shy of league leaders Real Racing with 15 games remaining.
Observers say Ronaldo’s involvement could provide not just financial backing, but also global attention, commercial growth, and technical insight, particularly for youth development.
