Lionel Messi completes takeover of Spanish club CD Eldense

Lionel Messi has completed his takeover of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense, marking his first acquisition of a professional side in Spain.

The deal, which remains subject to official clearance from Spain's National Sports Council (CSD), was confirmed by the Alicante-based club on Thursday. Messi has purchased the majority stake in the club from Colombian investment group Grupo TH, who also own stakes in teams across Colombia and Switzerland. It represents the third change of ownership for Eldense within the space of a single year.

In a statement published on their website, CD Eldense said the acquisition marks "the start of a new and exciting chapter" in their 105-year history.

"The arrival of one of the most important figures in the history of sport as owner of CD Eldense marks the beginning of a long-term project aimed at promoting the club's sporting, institutional, and social development," the statement said.

A club in immediate need of stability

On the pitch, the 39-year-old Argentina icon inherits a team in deep trouble. Eldense sit 19th in the 22-team division after a poor start to the campaign, having picked up just five points from their opening seven matches.

The team failed to win any of their first four games, a run of form that led to the sacking of head coach Claudio Barragan earlier this week. The club is currently without a manager, meaning one of the first tasks for Messi's new management team will be to find a replacement to guide the squad away from the relegation zone.

Eldense, founded in 1921, play their home matches at the 5,776-capacity Estadio Nuevo Pepico Amat in the city of Elda. While they have spent the vast majority of their history in the lower tiers of Spanish football, they earned promotion to the second division in 2023. They were relegated in 2025 but managed to win promotion back to the second tier this past summer.

Growing a football portfolio

The takeover is Messi's second football investment in Spain this year, following his purchase of Catalan club UE Cornella in April.

Unlike Eldense, Cornella are a semi-professional side playing in Spain's fifth division. The three-tier gap between the two clubs means the dual ownership is unlikely to cause any immediate conflict. However, if Cornella were to rise through the divisions to meet Eldense, Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) rules would likely prevent both clubs from competing in the same league under the same majority owner.

The Inter Miami forward, who announced his retirement from international football in August after leading Argentina to another Copa America final, also holds business interests elsewhere in South America. Alongside his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez, Messi is partially involved in Uruguayan club Deportivo LSM.

For now, the focus remains on Madrid, where Spain's National Sports Council must formally approve the transaction before the takeover is fully complete.