Football icon Lionel Messi, the 2022 FIFA World Cup champion with Argentina, has edged closer to adding a second Spanish football club to his investment portfolio, after Spanish Segunda División side Eldense announced the Argentina great had struck a preliminary agreement to take over as the club’s majority stakeholder.
The deal, if finalized, would mark Messi’s second sports investment in Spain, following his acquisition of fifth-tier Catalan club Cornella earlier this April. The 39-year-old, currently plying his trade for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, recently hung up his boots on international football after Argentina’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
In an official statement released by the Alicante-based club, the organization confirmed: ‘A preliminary agreement has been reached with Lionel Messi for the acquisition of the shares currently owned by Grupo TH Soluciones, which would make him the majority shareholder.’ The transaction is not yet finalized, however, as it remains contingent on the completion of remaining legal and contractual steps, including mandatory financial and operational due diligence, as well as formal approval from the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD).
Eldense, which currently sits second from bottom (20th) in the 22-team Segunda División table after collecting just two points from its opening four matches of the 2026-27 season, parted ways with head coach Claudio Barragán earlier this week, adding further uncertainty to the club’s near-term future ahead of Messi’s potential takeover.
When Messi purchased Cornella back in April, the club emphasized that the investment would strengthen the player’s long-standing personal ties to the Barcelona region, while also boosting his commitment to nurturing grassroots football and homegrown talent across Catalonia. BBC Sport has reached out to representatives of Messi for additional comment on the Eldense deal, but has not yet received a response.
Messi’s connection to Spanish football dates back more than a quarter of a century: he moved from his native Argentina to Spain at age 13 to join Barcelona’s famed youth academy, making his first-team debut for the Catalan giant in October 2004 at just 17 years old. Over his 16 seasons with Barcelona’s first team, he netted a club-record 672 goals across 778 competitive appearances before departing for Paris Saint-Germain of Ligue 1 in 2021. He moved to Inter Miami in the United States two years later, in 2023.
Messi is not the only global football superstar to pursue club ownership in Spain in recent months. His long-time career rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, purchased a 25% minority stake in Spanish top-flight club Almeria back in February.