Cristiano Ronaldo officially sells captain

One of Manchester United’s most iconic modern-day players has spent much of this year building a life away from the pitch that stretches well beyond his current role at Al-Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo acquired a 25% stake in UD Almeria back in February, purchased through his CR7 Sports Investments venture as part of a Saudi-led consortium fronted by club president Mohamed Al Khereiji.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 145 goals in 292 appearances during his six years at Old Trafford across two separate spells, described the move at the time as part of a long-held ambition to contribute to football beyond simply playing it.

That investment has continued to shape decisions behind the scenes at the Andalusian club throughout the summer, with the second tier side still chasing a return to LaLiga having missed out on automatic promotion last term.

Two significant pieces of transfer business at Almeria have now been confirmed, both offering an insight into how the club is being run under its new ownership structure.

Ronaldo sells club captain

UD Almeria and Cordoba have reached an agreement for Nelson Monte to join the Andalusian club on loan until the end of the season, as the club announced on their website.

The Portuguese centre-back arrived at Almeria last season from Malaga and was one of the team’s captains throughout the 2025/26 campaign, making 36 appearances and starting 28 matches.

His role became more limited from March onwards, though his presence and influence in the dressing room reportedly remained significant throughout that period.

Alongside that departure, Almeria have confirmed on their website that Alex Pozo is no longer a player at the club, after the two parties agreed to end his contract by mutual consent.

The Sevilla-born full-back leaves after five seasons at the club, having made 130 appearances and played an important role in Almeria’s most recent promotion to LaLiga.

Pozo spent last season away from Almeria entirely, out on loan in Poland’s Ekstraklasa with Jagiellonia Bialystok, where he scored two goals and provided four assists in 33 appearances, starting 28 of them.

He also featured in Jagiellonia’s Europa League campaign, though the Polish side were eventually eliminated at the intermediate stage of the competition’s league phase.

A club statement read, “UD Almeria thank Alejandro Pozo for his professionalism and total commitment throughout his time at the Andalusian club.”

Both moves form part of a squad reshuffle at Almeria as the club looks to strengthen its push back towards the Spanish top flight this season.

Ronaldo’s involvement has already brought increased visibility to the club since his investment was confirmed, with his global profile helping raise Almeria’s commercial standing regardless of results on the pitch.