Cristiano Ronaldo Steps Into Football Ownership With €25M Almería Investment

Portugal's most celebrated footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, has officially become a minority owner of Spanish second-tier club UD Almería, acquiring a 25% stake through his newly minted vehicle, CR7 Sports Investments. For residents in Portugal tracking Ronaldo's business moves, this represents his first foray into professional football club ownership—a natural extension of his Pestana CR7 hotel empire in Lisbon and Funchal, and his €5M+ Oeiras Padel City complex in the capital.

The deal, finalized this month, places the 41-year-old icon into the ownership side of professional football at a moment when his playing career continues at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr under contract through June 2027. Though financial terms remain officially undisclosed, industry estimates value the Andalusian club at roughly €100M, suggesting Ronaldo's quarter-share represents approximately €25M commitment—figures important for Portugal-based investors and business observers evaluating his strategic positioning.

Why This Matters

• Portugal's CR7 brand expands into football ownership, extending his portfolio beyond hotels, padel facilities, and media holdings into competitive club governance.

• Almería sits third in LaLiga 2, positioning the club within striking distance of promotion to Spain's top flight—a potential windfall for investors if the club secures a spot in La Liga's lucrative broadcast ecosystem. With roughly a dozen matchdays remaining in the season, realistic promotion prospects enhance the investment's upside.

• Ronaldo's presence in the Saudi Pro League since 2023 created a natural connection with Almería's president Mohamed Al Khereiji, a Saudi business magnate whose SMC Group purchased the club in 2025. The partnership emphasizes Portuguese star's intimate knowledge of Spanish leagues after nine trophy-laden seasons at Real Madrid (2009–2018).

• No credible plans exist for Ronaldo to join Almería as a player in 2026, despite tabloid speculation; his Al-Nassr deal runs until mid-2027, and any playing return to Spain remains purely hypothetical post-retirement.

CR7 Sports Investments: The Vehicle Behind the Move

CR7 Sports Investments is a subsidiary of CR7 SA, the umbrella company managing Ronaldo's commercial empire. Established expressly to consolidate and manage the footballer's ventures in professional club ownership, the entity structure mirrors strategies adopted by fellow athletes-turned-investors—David Beckham's Inter Miami ownership, LeBron James's stake in Liverpool, or Shaq's diverse sports holdings.

The Spanish second-division positioning distinguishes Ronaldo's approach: unlike those parallels investing in top-tier or expansion franchises, he's targeting a club with realistic promotion potential. Almería's infrastructure, 17,000-seat stadium, loyal regional fanbase, and recent top-flight experience (2023–2024 season) mean the upside scenario—La Liga ascension—remains within grasp.

What This Means for Portugal Residents

The Almería stake signals Ronaldo's post-retirement blueprint taking concrete shape. While his Pestana CR7 hotels anchor Lisbon and Funchal's hospitality markets, and his sports infrastructure investments support Lisbon's padel community, professional club ownership represents a new dimension of his business strategy. For Portugal-based investors or business professionals, the CR7 Sports Investments model—a dedicated subsidiary acquiring foreign sporting assets—offers a case study in cross-border investment structuring.

The deal also underscores Portugal's role as a launchpad for international sports investment. Ronaldo's Medialivre stake in Portugal's Cofina Media, his 10% shareholding in Vista Alegre Atlantis, and his backing of WOW FC MMA promoter in 2025 demonstrate a pattern: leveraging Portugal-anchored wealth and credibility to fuel cross-border deals, particularly in Iberia and the Gulf region.

International Portfolio Context

Beyond Almería, Ronaldo maintains significant holdings: his CR7 Lifestyle brand spans apparel, fragrance, and eyewear; Pestana CR7 operates hotels across Madeira, Lisbon, Madrid, and international markets; he co-owns Insparya hair clinics across Portugal and Spain; and CR7 Crunch Fitness targets the premium fitness segment. In technology, he holds stakes in Perplexity AI and Whoop, and co-founded UR-Marv Studios with British director Matthew Vaughn in 2025 for high-profile film production.

The Almería investment thus represents one strategic tile in a portfolio spanning real estate, wellness, technology, sports infrastructure, and now professional club ownership.

Legal and Governance Framework

Owning a minority stake in a Spanish club subjects Ronaldo to La Liga's financial fair play rules and UEFA's fit-and-proper-person tests if Almería competes in European tournaments. Spain's professional football governance—overseen by La Liga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)—impose disclosure and conduct standards on club shareholders above threshold percentages.

For Portugal-based investors considering similar ventures, the Almería model offers practical insight: acquiring a minority position in a second-tier club with realistic promotion prospects, leveraging personal brand equity, and partnering with deep-pocketed foreign ownership structures creates both diversification and upside potential.

What Comes Next

Almería's season runs through May 2026. If the club secures promotion to La Liga, Ronaldo's investment thesis validates swiftly; failure or playoff exit would test his appetite for continued capital infusion and the Saudi ownership's patience.

Either way, the deal establishes a clear template: Ronaldo as active football investor, not passive brand licensor. For Portugal residents and business observers, the question of whether Ronaldo eventually pivots toward domestic club ownership remains open—though Portuguese football's Big Three (Benfica, Porto, Sporting) operate under member-based governance models that complicate outside acquisition.

In the meantime, the 25% stake in UD Almería stands as the clearest signal yet that Ronaldo's post-retirement ambitions extend far beyond testimonial matches and coaching roles. He's building an ownership portfolio designed to keep him at the center of global football for decades to come.