Lionel Messi has become the owner of CD Eldense, a club in Spain's second division, in the latest step in a growing portfolio of football investments. The club announced the takeover on its official channels, saying it "officially announces the acquisition by Leo Messi".
Eldense is based in the Valencia region on Spain's eastern coast and was founded in 1921. In a short statement, the club described the arrival of "one of the most important figures in sporting history" as the start of a long-term project aimed at boosting its sporting, institutional and social development. It said it was entering a new phase with the ambition of consolidating its position and growing in professional football.
The 39-year-old Argentine is the world champion of 2022 and an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, and spent many years delighting fans at Barcelona. He has played for Inter Miami in the United States since 2023. According to reports, his contract there gives him a stake in the club's ownership after he retires from playing. Al Jazeera notes that he announced his retirement from international football at the end of August, after a defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
Eldense is reported to be the sixth club in which Messi has invested. In April he took over UE Cornellà, a Catalan club in Spain's fifth tier known for its academy for developing young players. He had earlier bought shares in Inter Miami, in FC Andorra, owned by his former Barcelona teammate Gerard Piqué, in Uruguay's Deportivo LSM and in Leones de Rosario in Argentina.
Eldense were promoted to Spain's second tier last season, and the sporting picture is difficult. After seven rounds they sit nineteenth in the table with five points from seven matches, in the lower reaches of the division.
The purchase shows how Messi is building a business presence in football that stretches across several countries and levels of the game, from youth development in the lower leagues to professional clubs. The sources do not say how much he paid or what role he will play in running the club. For a small club fighting to establish itself in the second division, the association with one of the sport's best-known names may bring attention, though what it means on the pitch remains to be seen.