Cristiano Ronaldo acquires 25 percent share in Spanish second division club Almeria

MADRID, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Spanish second division club Union Deportiva Almeria announced on Thursday that Cristiano Ronaldo bought a 25 percent share to become a part-owner of the club from the south-east corner of Spain.

"Cristiano Ronaldo has acquired a 25% stake in UD Almeria through CR7 Sports Investments, a subsidiary of CR7 S.A., marking a major step in both the Club's international expansion and the Portuguese icon's growing investment portfolio," announced the club on its official website, adding the move "forms part of the global strategy led by (Almeria) president Mohamed Al Khereiji via SMC Group."

The club also included declarations from Mohamed Al Khereiji, who said "we're very pleased that Cristiano has chosen our Club to invest in... He is considered the greatest player in history, knows Spanish football extremely well and understands the potential we are building both in the first team and at Academy level," he added.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo said that for a long time "my ambition has been to contribute to football beyond the pitch. UD Almeria have strong foundations and clear growth potential. I look forward to working with the leadership team to support the Club's next phase."

Almeria is currently third in the Spanish second division, with 48 points from 27 games, two behind league leader, Racing Santander in a division where the top two are automatically promoted to La Liga, with the sides placed third to sixth playing off for the remaining promotion spot. ■