Almeria Fc: almeria fc stake bought by Cristiano Ronaldo
almeria fc was the subject of a new investment when Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he had acquired a 25% stake in the Saudi-owned Spanish second division club Almería. CR7 Sports Investments, his new sports holding company, issued a statement that gave no financial details of the deal.
CR7 Sports Investments statement
“This strategic investment in UD Almería reflects Ronaldo’s long-term commitment to professional football ownership, ” the statement from CR7 Sports Investments said. The holding company added a quote from Ronaldo: “It has been a long-time ambition of mine to contribute to football. I look forward to working alongside the leadership team to support the club’s next phase of growth. ” The statement gave no financial details of the deal.
Almeria Fc and Ronaldo's stake
Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he had acquired a 25% stake in the Saudi-owned Spanish second division club Almería. The club are owned by Saudi group SMC. Almería were last in the Spanish top flight in 2024 and are third in the Segunda, one point from the automatic promotion places.
Club reaction and youth focus
Almería’s president, Mohamed al-Khereiji, suggested Ronaldo would be particularly involved in the club’s youth programme. Khereiji said: “He is considered the best on the pitch. He knows the Spanish leagues very well and understands the potential of what we are building. ”
Ronaldo's recent form and background
Ronaldo has played in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Nassr since 2023 and also owns a stake in that club. He became the first footballer included in the "Billionaire Index" last October. He recently returned to the Al-Nassr first team after a spat over the way the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the national sovereign wealth fund which controls four clubs in the league, handled the winter transfer window, and he has scored four times in the last three games. Ronaldo is set to take part in his sixth World Cup next summer, although he has suggested that, aged 41, it could be his last.
Other active players buying clubs
When Ronaldo’s 25% purchase of the Spanish side Almería was confirmed, it placed him among a group of players who have bought stakes while still playing. Across the globe, clubs at professional and semi-professional levels have added star investors.
Recent notable investments
In 2024 a Real Madrid forward bought a majority stake in SM Caen, the French side then in Ligue 2. Mbappé used Interconnected Ventures, a company that he founded, to reportedly invest €15m ($17. 7m) of his own money. The club’s fortunes have not improved since the ownership change: last season Caen were relegated after finishing bottom of Ligue 2 and are currently ninth in Ligue 3.
Snoop Dogg made headlines when attending a Swansea match for the first time since investing in the club. He is part of an ownership group that includes former Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric. The Croatian midfielder owns a minority stake in the Welsh club, alongside rapper Snoop Dogg and American billionaire Martha Stewart.
In 2020, while still at Arsenal, the full-back became Forest Green Rovers’ second-largest shareholder. The Rovers’ green agenda aligned with Bellerin’s socially conscious views: the club went fully vegan in 2015 and became the world’s first carbon neutral club in 2017. Forest Green Rovers are currently in the National League, the fifth tier of English football.
In 2018 the Kosmos Group, owned by the World Cup-winning Spain defender Gerard Piqué, bought FC Andorra. Andorra were then competing in the fifth tier of the Spanish domestic structure; now they are in the second tier Segunda División and are currently 17th.
In 2023 the former Leicester and Chelsea midfielder bought a side competing in the third tier of Belgian football. Kanté also took over as club chairman; at the time of the takeover, Virton were in the process of regaining their professional licence.
Ronaldo’s 25% acquisition of Almería places him in that growing group of active players combining playing careers with club ownership and completes the sequence of events set out by his announcement, the holding company statement, the club president’s comments, and the wider pattern of player investors across football.
