Overview
- CD Eldense announced on Thursday that Lionel Messi has agreed to buy a majority stake in the club, with the transaction conditional on a licence from the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD).
- The club is 19th in the Segunda División and has a managerial vacancy after Claudio Barragán was dismissed, leaving Eldense in a relegation fight that the new ownership inherits immediately.
- Spanish rules will limit what Messi can do straight away because clubs must follow strict salary‑limit controls and the Royal Spanish Football Federation bars a single majority owner from controlling two clubs in the same division.
- This is Messi’s second Spanish club purchase this year after he acquired UE Cornellà in April, and it marks his first investment in a fully professional Spanish team.
- Fans and local staff should expect a quick search for a new head coach and modest short‑term investment, while the wider impact will hinge on the CSD licence and whether Cornellà rises through the leagues, which could force governance changes.