Cristiano Ronaldo and Conor McGregor, who have each previously hinted about buying into Manchester United, are both immensely wealthy

Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo and former UFC champion Conor McGregor have both suggested they would be interested in buying the club. Ronaldo has recently ventured into club ownership, securing a 25 per cent stake in Spanish second-tier side Almeria.

Ronaldo has publicly stated that United would be in safe hands under his ownership. The Portuguese legend’s net worth is currently estimated at an impressive £900million.

Celtic fan McGregor, who has also discussed buying into United, possesses a somewhat smaller fortune of approximately £150m. United are believed to be valued at an eye-watering £4billion.

That means that if either sportsman were genuinely considering purchasing United, they would almost certainly require wealthy investors to support any potential deal. That hasn’t prevented the pair from discussing their prospects of owning the 20-time English champions.

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Speaking at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards in 2024, Ronaldo, now 41, indicated that he could resolve the club’s issues should he take control. He said: “The problem of Manchester United is the same. The problem is not always the coach.

“It’s much more than that. If I will be the owner of the club, I will make things clear and adjust things that are bad there.” Meanwhile, the former UFC champion revealed his aspirations back in 2021, though his proposal was partly light-hearted.

McGregor sparked conversation on X before Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a minority shareholding in United from Old Trafford owners, the Glazer family. McGregor posted: “Hey guys. I’m thinking about buying Manchester United! What do you think?”

He added: “I am certainly interested in acquiring a sports team at some stage! Both Celtic and Man United are teams I like for sure. But I am open. I feel I could do big things for a club.”

Ronaldo invested in Almeria via his CR7 Sports company, joining the club’s ownership group headed by SMC Group. While purchasing United on his own is beyond the reach of the Al-Nassr star, it shows where he sees his career going once he finally hangs up his boots.

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Ronaldo, who collects £178m per year from his current employers Al Nassr, said via Almeria’s social media accounts: “It has been a long-held ambition of mine to contribute to football, beyond just on the pitch.

“UD Almeria is a Spanish club with strong foundations and clear potential for growth. I look forward to working alongside the leadership team to support the next phase of the club’s growth.”

While matters on the pitch appear to be improving under interim boss Michael Carrick, the Glazers, who hold majority ownership, continue to face criticism from supporters.

Ratcliffe, whose INEOS team oversees the club’s football operations, has also faced backlash over several decisions, including significant cost-cutting measures.

In 2025, Ratcliffe outlined his long-term vision for United, saying: “Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world, in my view, and from that will stem, I hope, a long-term, sustainable, high-level of football.”

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No. 7 Florida clinched a share of the SEC title with an authoritative 111-77 win over No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday night, marking an accomplishment that even last year’s national title team never claimed. The Gators can clinch the outright league crown on Tuesday with a victory over Mississippi State or an Alabama loss to Georgia.

It is Florida’s first regular season SEC title since 2014, when the program was coached by Billy Donovan. The outcome marked Florida’s biggest win ever against a ranked opponent.

The Razorbacks (21-8, 11-5 SEC) entered with the nation’s No. 4 scoring offense led by star freshman Darius Acuff. But the Gators (23-6, 14-2) made everything hard on the visitors, who never found a shooting rhythm inside a rocking Exactech Arena. 

Arkansas did not hit its second 3-pointer until the 10:12 mark of the second half. It took Acuff 19 shots to reach 17 points as his streak of nine straight 20+ point performances came to an end. Florida has made a habit of eviscerating the competition during its run through the SEC, and its dominance of the Razorbacks was especially impressive in a chippy game.

Both coaches received technical fouls at the 17:27 mark of the second half as the officials adjudicated a call at the review monitor. Florida big Rueben Chinyelu earned a flagrant foul coming out of the review, and Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas picked up a flagrant of his own less than a minute later.

It wasn’t the game’s last review, as the lopsided SEC showdown devolved into a stop-and-go affair. But the outcome was never in doubt. Florida led 53-34 at halftime, scored first in the second half and then never led by less than 20 the rest of the way. 

Seven players reached double figures for Florida, led by Thomas Haugh with 22. In his only scheduled meeting this season against his former team, Florida guard Boogie Fland finished with 14 points.

Florida’s dominant gear on display

Of Florida’s 14 SEC victories, 12 have come by double digits. The Gators have now scored 90-plus points in six straight games against ranked opponents, which is the third-longest streak in a single season in AP poll history and the longest of anyone since the 1989-90 season.

The Gators have found a dominant gear as their guards have started to find a rhythm. Florida hit 42.1% of its 3-point attempts (8 of 19) against Arkansas as its outside shooting continued to improve. UF has hit eight or more 3-pointers in five of its last six games. 

Urban Klavzar continues to be the team’s top perimeter marksman. The Slovenian junior hit 4 of 7 from beyond the arc against Arkansas, marking the third time in the past five games that he’s hit four or more 3-pointers.

Chasing a No. 1 seed

Florida only recently busted through to the No. 2 seed line in CBS Sports Bracketology. Now, the Gators are already knocking on the door of the No. 1 seed line.

What makes the race for the final No. 1 seed particularly interesting is the improvement of Florida’s resume. The Gators are already ahead of the current fourth No. 1 seed, UConn, in predictive metrics and have been for a while. Resume metrics are going to carry more weight in the race for a No. 1 seed, though, and that’s where the Huskies still have the edge for now. 

But Florida is gaining ground. If the Gators win their final two regular season games and then sweep through the SEC Tournament, their case for a No. 1 seed will be strong. An early-season head-to-head loss against UConn could be the most significant hurdle come Selection Sunday if both teams win out.

MS Dhoni arrived in Chennai to a rousing reception from fans on Saturday, February 28. The veteran wicketkeeper landed in the city ahead of the upcoming 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 44-year-old is all set to play yet another season for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). A big crowd gathered at the Chennai airport to catch a glimpse of the star cricketer.

The Chennai-based franchise posted a video on Instagram, announcing Dhoni’s arrival. The former CSK skipper signed an autograph for a fan before stepping into a car amid heavy security.

CSK captioned the post:

“The helicopter has landed in Chennai!”

It is worth mentioning that MS Dhoni’s association with CSK started in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008. The forthcoming edition will be his 17th season with the team. The new retention rules allowed the five-time champions to retain him as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore prior to the mega auction in 2025.

Dhoni recently visited the Deori Maa Temple near Ranchi to seek blessings. He continued his tradition of praying at the ancient temple before major tournaments.

MS Dhoni will be part of CSK’s pre-season camp for IPL 2026

CSK will kickstart their preparation for IPL 2026 with a pre-season camp in Chennai from Sunday, March 1. According to Cricbuzz, a total of 15 Indian players, including MS Dhoni, will take part in the camp at the team’s high-performance centre.

The team’s T20 World Cup 2026-bound Team India stars Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson will join the squad following the ICC event. Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue leading the side, while Stephen Fleming will remain their head coach.

Meanwhile, Chennai roped in nine players at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. They invested heavily in uncapped Indian players, signing Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer at ₹14.20 crore each. Some of their other notable buys included West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein (₹2 crore), New Zealand pacer Matt Henry (₹2 crore), and Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan (₹75 lakh).