Would you like Cristiano Ronaldo to manage your football club?
If you are a UD Almeria fan you are spoiled for choice; the five-time Ballon d’Or winner now owns 25% of the club with his Saudi business partners holding the rest. He hasn’t said much about his intentions but any role he wants he can have, almost. The head coach of LaLiga2 promotion contenders, Rubi, said he would welcome his new manager “with open arms” if he wants to play for the team. It is a good example of “management” because it is not an option. Spanish law prevents owners of football clubs from being players too which upset my first impression – that he was buying himself a ticket to play until he was 53 so he could get into the 2038 World Cup.
One critic suggested that Cristiano could be a good face for the club and its Saudi owners, but I think he really is. He is a billionaire and although he may be able to sell you a watch, a hotel room, or set up a padel court, he can certainly get more satisfaction from using his knowledge in the sport that brought him the fame, respect and love he craves.
He wouldn’t be alone. Sergio Ramos leads the consortium currently in talks to buy Sevilla. He’s not in Cristiano’s league of riches yet so his teammates will pay the bulk of the €400 million and the 180-cap Spain defender will lead the club’s football operations.
Ramos’ former team-mate and rival Gerard Pique began his ownership journey down the league system when he bought fifth-placed Andorra in 2018. They are now in the same league as Almeria – and Pique has only bought one of their promotions! The club is financed and managed by a footballer-turned-businessman who has used his connections with Barcelona and Andorra’s tax laws to great effect.
And perhaps Cristiano cast an envious eye on David Beckham’s success with Inter Miami. The startup business attracted a lot of funding and the players are good, if a little faded. They have won trophies and the club is worth over a billion. Also, Beckham is the active leader of the soccer team.
Active players are currently investing: Kylian Mbappe is the majority shareholder of Championnat National team, SM Caen, which is owned by former French defender Gael Clichy, and Ngolo Kante is the owner of Belgian club Royal Excelsior Virton. Luka Modric is involved in the Championship club, Swansea City, although his role is not very visible – yet.
The great wealth of today’s players creates the hope that many will buy the clubs that once employed them. It hasn’t always worked out so well: Brazil’s Ronaldo had a rollercoaster seven years as majority shareholder of Real Valladolid, eventually selling amid fan protests and allegations that he no longer liked the job. But it was not an unmitigated disaster, and indications are that he made a profit, as he did when he sold his interest in Brazilian club Cruzeiro.
In England, the widely publicized takeover of eighth-tier Salford City by former Manchester United teammates Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt initially made for an interesting TV show that explored whether their former teammates could be successful owners. The glitter wore off when they outclassed their rivals and partly sold to Valencia owner and big spender Peter Lim.
A TV show about Salford City was later launched when Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac bought Wrexham, a Welsh club that played in the fifth division of the English league. It has been an unmitigated success with the club achieving an unprecedented three consecutive promotions and are now on course for promotion to the Premier League. The genius of this program is that it recognizes that football is more than a business or a game but an important part of the local community. Ironically, the grassroots tale spawned a global TV show that helped make the club a marketing success. Yes, it helps to have two lovable Hollywood actors driving your advertising but Reynolds and Mac give us another clue that Almeria could have successful days around the corner.
Football clubs are now subject to financial restrictions that prevent a tech boss, a fossil fuel executive or a democratic government from spending more than their rivals and creating runaway inflation. Clubs must find revenue streams to fund the use of the club. The nature of Wrexham’s business meant that they attracted international sponsors to what was once a county club and were able to constantly develop their players.
🇵🇹👀 CRISTIANO CELEBRATES LA VICTORIA DEL ALMERÍA
💰 The Portuguese star bought 25% of the club’s shares through the subsidiary CR7 Sports pic.twitter.com/wjiB2MSJ8m
– Post United (@postunited) March 9, 2026
Can we think of a football player as famous as Reynolds? Beckham, yes. But the most popular ones are still…
Almeria’s social media boomed after Cristiano bought his stake, shooting from 489,000 to 3.2 million on Instagram alone, but if he remains a distant shareholder, perhaps we shouldn’t expect much more. But a working Cristiano, perhaps playing a TV show, could create a celebrity status for Almeria that it has never had. He’ll need some smart commercial heads around him to make the most of that, but it’s more than possible as Inter Miami have shown. We probably have to be patient because he hasn’t shown any signs of giving up his playing career but the day is coming.
So, my answer to the question is: yes, I don’t care at all. One of Real Madrid’s most famous and influential players was the player-turned-manager-turned-stadium Santiago Bernabeu. La Liga president Javier Tebas once said that Pique will be the next president of Barcelona. If they can win the election, why can’t they turn their knowledge, their love and their bank accounts to run trading clubs? Give me Cristiano, Ramos or Beckham over the investment team. Sorry, let’s be more precise: give me an investment team with more than one Cristiano, Ramos or Beckham in charge.
