Cristiano Ronaldo has acquired a 25% stake in Spanish second-division club UD Almer\u00eda, according to his representatives. The investment was made through his company, CR7 Sports Investments, and confirmed by Brunswick Group. The club has been under Saudi ownership since 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ronaldo, 41, currently plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr. In a statement, he described the move as part of his ambition to contribute to football \u201cbeyond the pitch,\u201d highlighting Almer\u00eda\u2019s \u201cstrong foundations and clear potential for growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The announcement sparked mixed reactions. Supporters welcomed the investment, noting Ronaldo\u2019s global profile could boost Almer\u00eda\u2019s visibility and attract sponsorships. \u201cThis is a huge opportunity for the club to grow internationally,\u201d one fan commented online. Others praised Ronaldo for preparing for life after his playing career by moving into football ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critics, however, questioned the timing and motives behind the deal. Some argued that investing in a Saudi-owned club could raise concerns about political and financial influence in European football. \u201cIt feels more like a business arrangement than a passion for the sport,\u201d one observer remarked. Others expressed skepticism about whether Ronaldo\u2019s involvement would translate into meaningful improvements for the team, which is still fighting for promotion back to La Liga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The investment underscores a broader trend of high-profile players moving into club ownership, reflecting both the globalization of football and the increasing role of Middle Eastern investors in European leagues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cristiano Ronaldo has acquired a 25% stake in Spanish second-division club UD Almer\u00eda, according to his representatives. The investment was made through his company, CR7 Sports Investments, and confirmed by Brunswick Group. The club has been under Saudi ownership since 2025. Ronaldo, 41, currently plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr. In a statement, he described […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":26345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,25,5,458,7],"tags":[4474,4480,4472,4477,4473,4476,4479],"class_list":{"0":"post-26344","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-business","8":"category-entertainment","9":"category-international","10":"category-legal","11":"category-sports","12":"tag-cristiano-ronaldo-almeria","13":"tag-middle-eastern-investment-in-european-football","15":"tag-ronaldo-expands-into-football-ownership-in-spain","16":"tag-ronaldo-investment-saudi-owned-team","18":"tag-sports-investment-and-celebrity-ownership"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot_26-2-2026_133759_www.bing_.com_.jpeg?fit=810%2C356&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26344"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26346,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26344\/revisions\/26346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}