Cristiano Ronaldo buys a 25 PER CENT share in Spanish second division side backed by the Saudis as £1bn footballer dips his toe into club ownership after claiming he could ‘fix’ Man United

Cristiano Ronaldo has been at the forefront of football for the past two decades as a footballer. and now the Portuguese superstar will look to do so in a different capacity too.

The 41-year-old continues to plunder in the goals but he will have new ambitions of his own after becoming a co-owner of UD Almeria.

On Thursday morning it was announced that Ronaldo has bought a 25 per cent share in the club – and will be held under CR7 Sports Investments, a newly established subsidiary of his.

‘It has been a longtime ambition of mine to contribute to football, beyond the pitch,’ the Al-Nassr and Portugal captain, who is now an active player and co-owner, said in a statement.

‘UD Almeria is a Spanish club with strong foundations and clear potential for growth. I look forward to working alongside the leadership team to support the club’s next phase of growth.’

The purchase figure hasn’t been disclosed but marks Ronaldo’s return to Spanish football after nine trophy-laden seasons at Real Madrid before he left for Juventus in the summer of 2018.

UD Almeria sit third in the Spanish second division – just two points off top with 15 games left

His involvement also comes a year after the Spanish second division side were taken over by a Saudi investment group.

It is understood that Ronaldo has a close relationship with the group’s leader Mohamed Al Khereiji – who is reported to have helped facilitate his move to Al-Nassr in 2022 after his acrimonious exit from Manchester United.

Al Khereiji, who is UD Almeria club president said: ‘We are very pleased that Cristiano has chosen our club to invest in.

‘He 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 is actually older than UD Almeria with the club founded in 1989. They currently sit third in Segunda on 48 points after 27 matches, two points off leaders Real Racing, with a further 15 games to go.

Their first game with Ronaldo as a co-owner is on Friday night when they travel to mid-table outfit Albacete. 

Ronaldo’s step into club ownership comes 14 months after he hinted at one day delving into that role at Manchester United.

Speaking at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards in December 2024, he said the club’s struggles weren’t just down to on-pitch issues – with the problems far greater than that.

‘[The] Premier League it’s the most difficult league in the world,’ he said.

‘All the teams are good, all the teams fight, all the teams run, all the teams are strong. Football is different right now. There’s no easy games any more.

‘They need, I said this one year and a half ago, and I will continue to say it: The problem is not the coaches, it’s like… I always give this example… it’s like an aquarium.

‘If you have the fish inside and he’s sick and you take him out and you fix the problem and you put him again in an aquarium you will be sick again.

‘The problem of Manchester United is the same. The problem is not always the coach. It’s much more than that.

‘If I will be the owner of the club, I will make things clear and adjust things that are bad there.’

Ronaldo has previously spoken about becoming a club owner, hinting at doing so at Man United

Those words followed his notorious TalkTV interview with Piers Morgan in 2021 that served as the final nail in the coffin for his second spell at United, where Ronaldo alleged co-owners Joel and Avram Glazer ‘don’t care’ about the club.

‘The owners of the club, the Glazers, they don’t care about the club,’ he said. 

‘I mean, professional sport, as you know this, Manchester (United) is a marketing club.

‘They will get its money from the marketing – the sport, they don’t really care, in my opinion.’

‘You have some things inside the club which don’t help Manchester (United) reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal, for example… which is complicated, it’s difficult.

‘You have some things inside the club which don’t help Manchester (United) reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal, for example… which is complicated, it’s difficult.’