Messi completes Eldense buyout and adds second Spanish club

Lionel Messi has officially become the owner of CD Eldense, a side competing in Spain's second division, after completing a deal announced by the Alicante-based club. The Argentine star, 39, adds a second Spanish team to his football portfolio, following his purchase of Cornellà in April. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval.

• Messi completes the takeover of CD Eldense, a Spanish second division club.
• The deal is still pending regulatory approval.
• Eldense becomes the second Spanish club owned by the Argentine after Cornellà.
• The club currently sits 19th in the table with one win and five points from seven games.

CD Eldense welcomes Messi as its new owner

The club itself broke the news through a statement on its website, expressing excitement about opening a new chapter in a history spanning more than one hundred years. The Alicante outfit framed the move as the start of a long-term project focused on boosting the sporting, institutional and social development of the organisation.

The arrival of one of the most important figures in the history of sport as owner of CD Eldense marks the beginning of a long-term project aimed at promoting the club's sporting, institutional, and social development.

A second Spanish club in Messi's portfolio

Eldense is not Messi's first move into Spanish football ownership. The forward had already acquired Cornellà, a club with Catalan roots, back in April. With this latest operation, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner expands his presence in European football while he continues playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

Eldense's current situation in the second division

CD Eldense is going through a difficult start to the season in Spain's second tier. The team currently sits nineteenth in a twenty-two team division, having won just once and collected five points from their first seven matches. Messi's arrival is seen as an institutional boost to help turn the sporting situation around.

From Barcelona legend to club owner: Messi's path

Messi left Argentina for Spain at the age of thirteen and made his first-team debut for Barcelona at seventeen, in October 2004. He won ten La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies with the Catalan giants, scoring a record 672 goals in 778 appearances before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. Since 2023 he has played in the United States with Inter Miami, and in August he announced his retirement from international football with Argentina.

Cristiano Ronaldo, another star with Spanish football interests

Messi's move into Spanish club ownership comes at a time when another former rival is doing the same. Cristiano Ronaldo, currently with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, bought a twenty-five percent stake in UD Almería in February. Both moves reflect a growing trend of football icons positioning themselves as investors in Spanish football.

Messi's Inter Miami chapter and lasting legacy

Messi remains active in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, where he recently reached one hundred goals for the club. His influence keeps expanding beyond the pitch, with a growing set of sports-related investments. Taking over Eldense cements his commitment to Spanish football well beyond his playing days in Barcelona.