President Al-Khereiji said: “[Ronaldo] is regarded as the greatest to ever play the game, he knows the Spanish leagues very well and he understands the potential of what we are building here both in terms of the team and the academy.”

Last year, Al-Khereiji’s SMC Group acquired Almeria from Turki Al-Sheikh, who is chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), a Saudi government department.

Ronaldo spent nine successful years in Spain playing for Real Madrid, winning La Liga twice and lifting the Champions League four times before joining Italian side Juventus in 2018.

He has played for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League since 2022 and is the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m.

Almeria were founded in 1989 are third in Segunda, two points off leaders Real Racing with 15 games to go.

Fonte do Artigo