Cristiano Ronaldo has continued preparations for life after football by purchasing a stake in a football club. The Manchester United and Real Madrid legend has acquired a 25 per cent share in Spanish second-tier team Almeria.

Ronaldo made the investment through his CR7 Sports company, as part of the club's ownership consortium led by SMC Group. Almeria sit third in the Segunda Division, just two points behind leaders Racing in the race for promotion to LaLiga.

The 41-year-old has often expressed interest in club ownership as he approaches the twilight of his remarkable playing career. With an astounding net worth of approximately £900million, the Portuguese forward certainly has the financial means to revolutionise a club.

Ronaldo, who earns £178m annually from his current club Al Nassr, said on Almeria's X account: "It has been a long-held ambition of mine to contribute to football, beyond just on the pitch.

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"UD Almeria is a Spanish club with strong foundations and clear potential for growth. I look forward to working alongside the leadership team to support the next phase of the club's growth."

Almeria president Mohamed Al Khereiji added: "We are very pleased that Cristiano has chosen to invest in our club. He is regarded as the greatest to ever play the game, he knows Spanish football very well and he understands the potential of what we are building here both in terms of the team and the academy."

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Ronaldo's investment could be the first step on a road that leads him to Old Trafford. While things are looking up on the pitch under interim boss Michael Carrick, majority owners, the Glazers, remain deeply unpopular.

Meanwhile, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose INEOS company run the club's football operations, has come under fire for various decisions, including drastic rounds of cost-cutting.

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Ronaldo, who lambasted the Glazers in his explosive interview with Piers Morgan that led to the end of his second spell at the club in 2022, has subsequently addressed the club's issues.

Speaking at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards in 2024, he hinted that he could fix their problems by becoming their owner, saying: "The problem of Manchester United is the same.

"The problem is not always the coach. It's much more than that. If I will be the owner of the club, I will make things clear and adjust things that are bad there."

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