“It’s been my goal for a long time”
Cristiano Ronaldo is buying into second division teams
02/26/2026 – 12:49 p.mReading time: 1 min.
In the middle of the promotion race, Almería is receiving prominent support: Ronaldo is investing millions. Why is he betting on the Spanish club?
Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has bought a deal from Spanish second division club UD Almería. The Portuguese secured 25 percent of the shares in the club through his company CR7 Sports Investments, as Almería announced. “It has long been my goal to contribute to football beyond the pitch. UD Almería is a club with a solid base and clear growth potential,” the 41-year-old was quoted as saying.
The Almería club, founded in 1989, has been in Saudi Arabian hands for over six years. In the summer of 2025, Mohamed Al-Khereiji, who, among other things, owns the stadium of Ronaldo’s current club Al-Nassr, joined as president and owner. The entrepreneur is said to have a close relationship with Ronaldo and reportedly played a key role in Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in winter 2023.
“We are very pleased that Cristiano has chosen our club. He is considered the best player in history, knows Spanish football very well and understands the potential of what we are building here, both in terms of the first team and the youth academy,” Al-Khereiji is quoted as saying.
Almería is currently in third place in the table and is aiming to return to La Liga. The last time the club was first class was in the 2023/24 season. Ronaldo celebrated numerous successes there during his time at Real Madrid and developed into one of the most successful footballers.
