Overview
- CD Eldense announced on Thursday, October 1 that Lionel Messi is the club's new owner and said the team will work to consolidate and grow in professional football.
- This is Messi's second Spanish club purchase after he took control of fourth‑division CE Cornellà in April, showing a pattern of investment inside Spain's football pyramid.
- Messi remains an Inter Miami player under a contract that press reports say includes a pathway to take equity in that MLS club after he retires from playing.
- Founded in 1921, Eldense competes in Spain's Segunda División and the club's leadership framed the sale as a step toward improving the team's sporting and organizational stability.
- The move could bring new funding, higher visibility, and changes to coaching or infrastructure at Eldense, and it signals Messi's longer‑term plan to transition from player to club owner and investor.