Lionel Messi now owns a second football club in Spain. CD Eldense confirmed on its website that the Argentine's takeover is complete, ending a process that began with a "preliminary agreement" in September to make him the majority shareholder. The deal still needs regulatory approval, but the club has already announced it as done.
The 39-year-old, who plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer and announced his retirement from international football in August, bought Catalan side Cornella in April. Eldense is a step up in level. The Alicante-based club plays in the Spanish second division, where it has a rough season on its hands.
What Messi has bought
Eldense sit 19th in the 22-team division with one win and five points from their opening seven games. That is not the profile of a club with a glamorous present, though its history is long: the club says it has existed for more than 100 years. In its statement it described the arrival of "one of the most important figures in the history of sport" as the start of a long-term project aimed at developing the club's sporting, institutional and social side.
Nobody has yet explained, at least in the sources available today, what Messi plans to do with the squad or the coaching staff. The statement talks about direction, not names. Anyone expecting a flurry of signings should wait for the club to say so.
A Spanish story that keeps going
Messi left Argentina for Spain at 13 and made his Barcelona debut at 17 in October 2004. He scored a record 672 goals in 778 games for the club before leaving for Paris St-Germain in 2021, and he joined Inter Miami in the United States in 2023. Eight Ballon d'Ors and the 2022 World Cup with Argentina sit on the shelf at home. Spain, it seems, is where he wants to build whatever comes after playing.
The Ronaldo comparison
His old Real Madrid rival is moving along the same lines. Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, bought a 25% stake in Spanish side Almeria in February. The two have spent two decades measured against each other on the pitch, and now they are doing it in the Spanish lower leagues. Messi holds a majority of Eldense; Ronaldo's Almeria holding is a minority stake. That difference is worth noting before anyone calls it a tie.
Club business context: Lionel Messi, 39, Inter Miami. CD Eldense, Alicante, 19th of 22 in the Spanish second division with one win and five points from seven games. Takeover completed, subject to regulatory approval; preliminary agreement reached in September. Previous Spanish purchase: Cornella, April 2026. Source reporting: BBC Sport.
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