Lionel Messi’s expanding football empire now includes a second Spanish club. CD Eldense confirmed Thursday that the Argentine superstar has officially completed his purchase of the second-division side, pending final approval from Spain’s National Sports Council.
“The arrival of one of the most significant figures in sports history into Spanish professional football as the owner of CD Eldense signals the beginning of a long-term project,” the club said in a statement, adding that the move marks the start of a new chapter spanning more than a century of history.
This isn’t Messi’s first foray into Spanish club ownership this year. Back in April, he bought fifth-division Cornellà, a Catalan side based in Barcelona. But because Cornellà remains semi-professional, Eldense actually becomes his first fully professional investment on Spanish soil. Messi also holds a partial stake in Uruguayan outfit Deportivo LSM, a venture he shares with his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez.
The three-division gap between Eldense and Cornellà means there’s no immediate conflict to sort out. Whether that holds as both clubs chase promotion is another question — Spain’s football federation would almost certainly step in if Messi ended up majority owner of two teams competing in the same tier.
He’s inheriting a club in need of direction. Eldense, founded back in 1921, spent most of its existence outside Spanish football’s top two divisions before finally reaching the second tier in 2023 — its first appearance there since 1964. Relegation followed in 2025, then an immediate return this past summer. Results haven’t improved: the club sits 19th in a 22-team table, winless in six of seven matches, and fired coach Claudio Barragán just days before the ownership news broke, leaving the dugout empty.
Eldense play their home fixtures at the modest, 5,776-seat Nuevo Pepico Amat stadium in Elda. Messi’s arrival marks the third change in ownership the Alicante club has seen in just over a year.
He joins a growing club of football legends turned club owners — longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo picked up a 25% stake in fellow Spanish side Almería back in February.
