Cristiano Ronaldo involved in bid to buy club

Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of Manchester United’s greatest modern icons, even if his second spell at Old Trafford ended far less romantically than his first.

United watched Ronaldo grow from a fearless teenager into a Ballon d’Or winner.

Sir Alex Ferguson gave him the stage, and Ronaldo eventually became the leading figure in a side that conquered England and Europe, scoring 118 goals during his first spell.

He returned in 2021 before leaving the following year, taking his United total to 145 goals across 346 appearances.

Since then, Ronaldo has continued rewriting records with Portugal and Al Nassr while increasingly expanding his interests away from the pitch.

That includes football ownership. Ronaldo already acquired a 25 per cent stake in UD Almeria earlier this year.

It comes while ownership remains an especially sensitive subject at United.

Supporters have protested against the Glazers since their leveraged takeover in 2005 loaded debt onto the club, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival has not ended the unrest.

Thousands protested before September’s Manchester derby, with anger surrounding ticket sanctions, rising costs and the direction of the club.

One supporters’ group has since publicly called for both Ratcliffe and the Glazers to leave.

Ronaldo part of ambitious takeover consortium

Ronaldo could now dramatically increase his influence behind the scenes at another club.

Portuguese outlet A Bola reports that Ronaldo is part of a five-investor consortium preparing a bid to buy Al Nassr from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale is also reportedly involved alongside Ibrahim Al-Muhaidib, Mohammed Al-Khuraiji and Sharaf Al-Hariri.

According to the report, each investor would be required to contribute almost €100million, placing the combined commitment close to €500 million.

Representatives of the consortium were also reportedly due to hold talks with PIF officials over whether control could be transferred.

For Ronaldo, it would represent an extraordinary transformation: from Al Nassr’s superstar player to potentially becoming one of the men who owns the club.