Cristiano Ronaldo has bought a 25 per cent stake in Spanish second-tier side UD Almeria.
Ronaldo, 41, has joined an ownership group led by the Saudi Media Company, the operator of Al Nassr’s stadium Mrsool Park, via a subsidiary of the forward’s investment brand CR7 SA.
Almeria are third in Spain’s second division, two points off top spot, and completed a full transfer of ownership to the Saudi-led consortium in May.
Ronaldo’s first involvement in club ownership has come after he was involved in a dispute over how Al Nassr is run, which saw the five-time Ballon d’Or winner miss three games for the Saudi Pro League side. After his return to the field, he said on Sunday he was “very happy” and he “belong(s) to Saudi Arabia”.
The Portugal international spent nine years in Spain between 2009 and 2018 during his time at Real Madrid, where he won four Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles.
“For a long time, my ambition has been to contribute to football beyond the pitch,” he said in a statement on Thursday. “UD Almeria is a club with a solid foundation and clear potential for growth.
“I look forward to working with the management team to support the club’s next phase of growth.”
Ronaldo was announced as football’s first billionaire in October, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He is paid more than £175million ($240m) a year by Al Nassr and his company includes ventures into water, underwear, footwear and fragrance alongside partnerships with 18 brands including Nike.
The former Sporting CP, Manchester United and Juventus forward moved to Al Nassr in December 2022 after a second spell at Old Trafford and signed a new two-year contract in June, including a €50million release clause.
Almeria, who play at the 17,400-capacity Power Horse Stadium, were relegated from La Liga in the 2023-24 campaign and finished sixth in the second division last season.
Who are Almeria?
Analysis by Guillermo Rai
Almeria are currently third in Spain’s Segunda Division, which would qualify them for the promotion play-offs to La Liga.
Since they were first promoted to La Liga in 2007, the modest club from southern Spain have played in the top-flight for seven seasons. The last time they made it to La Liga was 2022, although they were relegated again in 2024.
In 2019, the Saudi government official Turki Al-Sheikh became the club’s owner, purchasing shares from businessman Alfonso Garcia Gabarron. There was another change of ownership at the end of the 2024-25 season, when Almeria passed over to a group of Saudi investors led by Mohamed Al-Khereiji.
During that time, there have been strong connections forged between Almeria and teams from the Saudi Pro League. They played a friendly against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in August, which Almeria won 3-2 after two Ronaldo goals.
Recently, they have also had a reputation for selling players for sizeable transfer fees. The Colombian forward Luis Suarez was sold to Sporting CP last year for €22million ($26m; £19m at current exchange rates), while the 22-year-old full-back Marc Pubill joined Atletico Madrid for €16m last summer.
