Cristiano Ronaldo purchases stake in Spanish club Almeria as CR7 pursues club owner ambition

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo once lined up against Almeria during an iconic spell at Santiago Bernabeu that saw him plunder 450 goals through 438 appearances. The financial terms of his latest transaction have not been revealed, but he is said to have made a “long-term strategic investment”.

A statement on Almeria’s official website reads: “Cristiano Ronaldo has acquired 25% of the shares of UD Almería through CR7 Sports Investments, a subsidiary of CR7 SA, this being an important step in the continued expansion of both the club and the investment portfolio of the Portuguese businessman.

“This agreement is part of the international expansion of the entity being carried out by President Mohamed Al Khereiji through his business conglomerate SMC Group.”

Almeria were the subject of a takeover by a Saudi investment group in May 2025. All-time great Ronaldo is currently plying his club trade in the Middle East with Al-Nassr - where he is tied to the most lucrative contract in world football.

The evergreen 41-year-old has previously stated a desire to move into ownership once his record-shattering career comes to a close. He has said of buying into a club that was only formed in 1989: “I have long had the ambition to contribute to football beyond the pitch. UD Almería is a Spanish club with a strong foundation and clear growth potential. I wish to work with the team leading the club to support it in its new phase of growth.”

Almeria president Mohamed al Khereiji is delighted to have Ronaldo on board, saying in a statement of his own: “He is considered the best on the pitch. He knows the Spanish leagues very well and understands the potential of what we are building here both in terms of the team and the youth academy.”

Almeria were relegated out of La Liga in 2024. They are, however, currently sat third in the Segunda Division - two points adrift of leaders Racing Santander - and remain very much in the promotion hunt.

Ronaldo’s presence, along with his contacts and money-making ability, will be most welcome at Power Horse Stadium. There remains the possibility of CR7 investing in other clubs before his historic goal-scoring boots are hung up for the final time.

Former Manchester United team-mate Louis Saha has previously said of the Portuguese icon treading a similar path as Hollywood superstars in North Wales: “Cristiano Ronaldo can follow in the footsteps of Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham and he would be a huge success. There is no better promoter in the world than Cristiano and that would work wonders at a football club no matter the level.

“Social media is a massive machine and nobody can compete with Cristiano, he is the biggest star in the world and whatever he does in retirement, people are going to follow. He brought 20 million more followers to Al-Nassr in a year and if he decided to buy a club it could be even bigger. 

“Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made a huge impact at Wrexham straight away and were able to spend a lot of money on players and we’ve seen the success they’ve had since. I’d be very happy to be a sporting director if Cristiano Ronaldo does decide to buy a club!”

Ronaldo joins the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior and Juan Mata in becoming a player that owns a stake in a club. That list could be added to at some point in the not too distant future as another Real Madrid legend, Sergio Ramos, attempts to negotiate a takeover at boyhood team Sevilla.