Cristiano Ronaldo buys 25% stake in Spanish club Almería
The captain of the Portuguese national team emphasised that Almería, which plays in the Spanish second division, is a club "with solid foundations and clear potential for growth".
Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday the acquisition of a 25% stake in Spanish second division football club Unión Deportiva Almería (UD Almería), a move he says is “decisive” in expanding his global investment portfolio. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“I have long wanted to contribute to football, far beyond the pitch”, said the captain of the Portuguese national team, who currently plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr, quoted in a statement from CR7 Sports Investments. “UD Almería, in Spain, is a club with solid foundations and clear potential for growth. I am very excited to be working with its leadership team to support the club’s next phase of development.”
The investment will be held by CR7 Sports Investments, a subsidiary of CR7 SA set up to manage the Portuguese national team captain’s investments in the global sports sector, the statement explains. CR7 Sports Investments will act as a vehicle for evaluating and realising strategic opportunities in professional sport, it added.
Mohamed Al Khereiji, president of UD Almería, expressed his satisfaction that Cristiano Ronaldo had chosen Almería to invest in. “He is considered the best player of all time, knows the Spanish leagues very well and understands the potential of what we are building here, both in terms of the team and the academy”, he said, also quoted in a statement.
Promotion to La Liga is the goal
According to Almería’s website, at the end of the 2024-2025 season, there was a change of ownership and the club became part of a group of Saudi investors led by Al-Khereiji, who became the owner and president of the entity, thus replacing Turki Al Alsheikh, who had been at the helm of the club for six years.
The new manager announced at his official presentation that he had arrived to “create something very special for Almería”. Promotion to La Liga (first division), the sports city, the second phase of the stadium, and the strengthening of the commercial area and the entity as an institution were aspects to be addressed, he explained at the time.
At the moment, after 27 games, Almería is in third place in the Segunda División, two points behind leaders Racing Santander. At the end of the season, the top two teams will be promoted directly to the first division, while the next four will go to a play-off to decide a third team for promotion.
The last time UD Almería played in La Liga was in the 2023/2024 season. The club finished the season in 19th place, which saw them relegated back to Segunda División after two seasons in the top flight.
