Cristiano Ronaldo with Kylian Mbappe, ex-Chelsea pair as footballer-turned-owner after Almeria deal | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo, with the help of his links to Saudi Arabia, has broadened his horizons as the culmination of his playing career nears.

The Manchester United and Real Madrid legend has taken steps into football ownership, with a stake in Al Nassr among the sweeteners for his lucrative move to the Middle East side at the start of 2023. Now, it has emerged that he has expanded his portfolio by purchasing a 25% stake in Spanish second division side Almeria.

On the surface, Ronaldo‘s decision to target Almeria may seem confusing, but it actually makes all the sense in the world because Saudi investors have been the majority shareholders of the club since 2019.

And Ronaldo is not the only footballer-turned-owner in today’s game, with Kylian Mbappe and a couple of Chelsea legends among the players who have bought, not founded (cough, David Beckham, cough), a club…

Cesar Azpilicueta – Hashtag United Upon doing research for this article, it was perhaps most surprising to discover that former Chelsea captain Azpilicueta is a co-owner of YouTube-centric football team, Hashtag United. This one passed me by…

Azpilicueta was one of the best defenders in the Premier League in his pomp, but the former Spain international does not scream gamer.

But as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. The 35-year-old’s affiliation with Hashtag United (a club founded by two YouTubers) suggests he’s entrenched in the social media world as he’s been on their board since 2018.

Class of ’92 – Salford City Class of ’92 members Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt reunited in 2014. With the backing of mega-rich co-owner Peter Lim, they completed a highly-publicised takeover of local non-league side Salford City.

With the backing of several former Manchester United greats, Salford City have been given a mammoth facelift over the past ten years as they have risen through the divisions, while various off-field departments have had a huge upgrade.

Salford rise was rapid and dramatic, but they have stagnated in recent years as they are in their seventh-consecutive season in League Two and recently had a board reshuffle. A certain Welsh side owned by a pair of Hollywood superstars has stolen their thunder of late.

Didier Drogba – Phoenix Rising Before the sudden emergence of the Saudi Pro League, it was commonplace for veteran players to end their careers in the United States and MLS.

After a brief homecoming at Chelsea, Drogba did just that as he joined MLS outfit Montreal Impact. This was expected to be his final club, but there was time for another dramatic turn in the Ivory Coast international’s career as he joined the United Soccer League team, Phoenix Rising.

On the face of it, this was a baffling move. However, it made a lot more sense after it was revealed that to sweeten the deal, he purchased a stake in the club, meaning he made the unique step of becoming a player-owner.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Hammarby The former Man Utd striker was no stranger to a controversial move as he had spells at Inter Milan and AC Milan during his playing career.

He has also ruffled feathers off the pitch as in 2019, he bought a stake in Swedish side Hammarby. Why is this controversial, I hear you ask? Well, rivals Malmo are his boyhood team and they even have a statue outside their stadium in his honour.

Unsurprisingly, Malmo supporters did not take Ibrahimovic buying Hammarby too kindly as his statue was subsequently vandalised. He’ll presumably not be given a heroes’ welcome if he returns to his former club in the future.

Kylian Mbappe – Caen Mbappe used a portion of his Real Madrid signing-on bonus to purchase a majority stake in Ligue 2 side Caen in 2024.

Mbappe already has experience running a football club as he was basically doing that with Paris Saint-Germain, as they foolishly gave the egotistical Galactico free rein to do pretty much whatever he wanted.

This did not work out for PSG, who have fared much better without the forward, and Caen have been relegated from Ligue 2 since Mbappe joined the club.

Gerard Pique – FC Andorra and Gimnastic Manresa For Man Utd, World Cup winner Pique is one who got away. He’s revealed why he was left scared by Roy Keane before he went on to enjoy a stellar spell with La Liga giants FC Barcelona.

Pique also happens to be one of the smarter footballers in recent history as he’s delved into the business world, buying lower-league sides FC Andorra and Gimnastic Manresa to add to his ever-growing portfolio.

Wilfried Zaha – AFC Croydon We end with a more wholesome story as Crystal Palace legend Zaha joined rapper Stomzy (and another investor) in “doing what’s right for the local community” by buying non-league outfit AFC Croydon.

The potential knock-on effect of this deal is huge for Croydon and the surrounding area and the benefits will inevitably be felt for many years to come.