Dhaka, Feb 27 (V7N) — Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has stepped into club ownership even before retiring from professional football, acquiring a 25 percent stake in Spanish club UD Almería.

The club’s majority ownership remains with the Saudi investment group SME. Ronaldo had previously expressed his ambition to own a European football club during the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards in December 2024, and the move marks the realization of that goal roughly 14 months later.

Ronaldo, widely known as CR7, said the investment fulfills a long-held ambition to contribute to the sport beyond his playing career. He described Almería as a club with “great potential for development” and pledged to support efforts to help the team reach the top level of competition.

Club president Al Khwarizmi welcomed the development, noting that Ronaldo’s deep understanding of Spanish football and global experience would be valuable for both the first team and the youth academy.

Ronaldo’s business journey began in 2016 with the launch of a hotel in his hometown of Madeira. Since then, he has diversified his portfolio with investments in hospitality, bottled water, fragrances, apparel, hair-transplant clinics, fitness centers, and footwear — building one of the most extensive business empires among active athletes.

END/SMA/AJ