Cristiano Ronaldo has followed in the footsteps of some of his contemporaries by investing part of his fortune in a football club.
There has been a growing movement for former players to invest in clubs, from the Class of 92's involvement in Salford City, to Sir David Beckham's co-ownership of Inter Miami, to Luka Modric's minority stake in Swansea City.
Perhaps inspired by his fleet of former teammates, Ronaldo has now moved to take a 25 per cent stake in Spanish second-tier side Almeria.
Cristiano Ronaldo takes 25 per cent stake in UD Almeria
Almeria were bought out by the controversial Turki Al-Sheikh in summer 2019 and had a two-year spell in La Liga from 2022 to 2024, when they were relegated back down to the Segunda Division.
They underwent a second takeover last summer, with another Saudi businessman, Mohamed Al-Khereiji, purchasing the club from Al-Sheikh - and he has now brought Ronaldo on board as a co-owner.
Al-Khereiji told Marca just a few months ago that his ideal signing for Almeria would be Ronaldo, saying: "If I'm allowed to dream, I would say Cristiano Ronaldo, no doubt. He is the only figure in the history of football who can make a difference to any project."
Almeria played Ronaldo's Al-Nassr twice last summer, with Ronaldo appearing for the Saudi side.
Almeria are currently third in the league, just two points behind league leaders Racing Santander and one point off second-placed Castellon.
The top two go up automatically, with the next four entering into a play-off, giving gives Ronaldo a realistic shot at being a co-owner of a Spanish top-flight side next season.
Ronaldo has publicly suggested he remains happy playing in Saudi Arabia, however.
After signing a new contract last year, Ronaldo was reported last month to have been unhappy at Al-Nassr and was left out of their matchday squad.
However, he has since returned to action and last week publicly re-affirmed his commitment to playing in Saudi Arabia.
