Hey, CR7, pay your club’s debts!

Cristiano Ronaldo is in debt!

Okay, not the Portuguese himself, but the club whose 25% of shares he purchased a little over a month ago, Almeria. However, if you ask the creditor, Flamengo, it's the same.

Namely, the Brazilian side issued an official statement claiming that the La Liga side owes it around €1.8 million for the transfer of striker Lazaro in August 2022, valued at €7 million.

The initial amount was €1.5, but Almeria's debt has increased over the 590 days since the non-payment of obligations.

Hence, Flamengo turned to Cristiano, directly addressing him in the statement's subheading, which said: "In February, athlete Cristiano Ronaldo acquired 25% of the Spanish club."

"Clube de Regatas do Flamengo publicly expresses its vehement repudiation of the conduct adopted by the Spanish club UD Almeria, for breaching a contractual obligation assumed in the transfer of the player Lazaro, carried out in August 2022. Having been in default for 590 days, the club has accumulated a debt estimated at more than €1.8 million, in blatant disregard for the commitments made and the rules governing relations in international football."

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"The case is objective and unequivocal: there is an express contractual obligation that assigns to the Spanish club the responsibility for the payment or reimbursement of taxes levied in Spain. Even so, despite Flamengo being compelled to pay these amounts—totaling over €1,5 million—and after a formal FIFA decision fully recognizing its right to reimbursement, Almeria chooses not to fulfill its obligation. The debt after 590 days of default exceeds €1.800.000,00."

"Instead, it adopts a repeated stance of resistance, using procedural tactics of an eminently dilatory nature, in clear disregard for the principles of good faith, contractual loyalty, and integrity that should guide relations between clubs in international football."

"This is not a case of a one-off default, but a conscious and deliberate act of procrastination that weakens the legal security of contractual relationships in football and compromises the credibility of the system," it says, among other things, in Flamengo's statement announced on their official website.

Now, given Ronaldo's vast salary in Saudi Arabia, he could easily pay off the debt and spare Almeria additional troubles.

We can't say whether he'll do it, but one conclusion is inevitable: thanks to this case, Cristiano has undoubtedly realized what it means to be a club owner, and we can assume he doesn't like it much.