Cristiano Ronaldo buys 25% stake in Almeria: What it means, the Saudi links and Turki Al-Sheikh connection

Cristiano Ronaldo buys 25% stake in Almeria: What it means, the Saudi links and Turki Al-Sheikh connection originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Cristiano Ronaldo has moved into club ownership after purchasing a 25 per cent stake in Spanish second-tier side Almeria.

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The Al-Nassr forward completed the deal through CR7 Sports Investments, a newly formed arm of his wider business group, CR7 SA.

Ronaldo officially became football's first-ever billionaire at the end of 2025, with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion.

Financial terms have not been disclosed, but 41-year-old Ronaldo said is part of a long-standing desire to contribute to football beyond his playing career.

"It has been a long-held ambition of mine to contribute to football beyond the pitch," he said in a statement.

"UD Almeria is a Spanish club with strong foundations and clear potential for growth."

Almeria are currently third in Spain's Segunda Division and pushing for promotion back to La Liga.

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The club are majority-owned by Saudi Arabia's SMC Group, led by Mohamed Al-Khereiji, who acquired control last year from Turki Al-Sheikh.

Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabi's General Entertainment Authority and the driving force behind annual entertainment festival Riyadh Season, had previously overseen Almeria during a period when Saudi investment in European sport was gathering pace.

His involvement connected the Andalusian club to a wider strategy aimed at raising Saudi Arabia's sporting profile internationally.

Why did Ronaldo choose Almeria?

Ronaldo's relationship with Al-Sheikh has been well documented since his arrival in Saudi Arabia in 2022.

The pair have appeared together at Riyadh Season events and major sporting occasions, with Turki publicly praising Ronaldo's impact on the Saudi Pro League's global visibility.

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While Turki no longer owns Almeria, the club remains within the same Saudi-backed ecosystem that has expanded across football and entertainment in recent years.

Al-Khereiji welcomed Ronaldo's investment, describing him as a player who understands Spanish football and the scale of the project in Almeria, both at first-team and academy level.

"[Ronaldo] 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 spent nine seasons at Real Madrid, winning two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies before leaving in 2018.

Beyond football, Ronaldo has built a portfolio that spans hotels, fitness, fashion and technology investments and it was recently announced that he is now officially football's first billionaire.

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