Lionel Messi is preparing to add another Spanish football club to his growing portfolio, with the Argentina legend reaching an agreement in principle to take full control of CD Eldense.
Messi has agreed a deal to acquire 100% of the shares currently held by the club's Colombian ownership group, according to reports from Spain. However, the takeover has not yet been formally completed, with due diligence, legal procedures and approval from Spain's High Council for Sports still required.
If completed, the move would take Messi from investing in Spain's lower divisions to becoming the owner of a club competing in LaLiga Hypermotion, the country's second tier.
It would also represent another significant step in what increasingly looks like a carefully constructed post-playing career in football ownership.
Eldense is a very different investment to Cornellà
Messi's latest move comes only months after he acquired control of UE Cornellà, a Catalan club competing in the lower tiers of Spanish football.
Eldense represents a considerably larger challenge.
The club, based in Elda in Alicante, has spent much of its history outside Spain's top two divisions but has established itself in the professional game again after returning to the second tier. It has competed in LaLiga 2 in three of the last four seasons.
That gives Messi an opportunity to work with a club already operating much closer to the professional elite.
The difference is significant.
Cornellà provides a lower-level development project. Eldense could become a platform capable of reaching an even higher level of Spanish football.
And Messi would have complete control if the proposed transaction is approved.
The timing makes the takeover even more intriguing
Messi's arrival would come at a difficult moment for Eldense.
The club have collected only two points from their opening four league matches and recently dismissed head coach Claudio Barragán.
That means Messi would not be arriving at a club already flying towards promotion.
Instead, he would inherit a project that needs stabilising.
That could make the Argentine's involvement particularly interesting.
The immediate objective would presumably be to restore competitive stability before thinking about a longer-term push towards the top flight.
The challenge is substantial, but so is the potential.
Messi is building something beyond his playing career
The Eldense deal is perhaps most significant because of what it tells us about Messi's future.
The 39-year-old remains an active player with Inter Miami, but his investment activity in Spanish football is beginning to create a clear pattern.
First came Cornellà.
Now comes Eldense.
Rather than simply attaching his name to a club, Messi is reportedly prepared to assume 100% ownership of Eldense without outside partners.
That gives him control over the direction of the project.
It also means Messi is moving beyond the role of football celebrity investor and towards becoming a genuine football executive.
Eldense could become Messi's biggest football project yet
There is an obvious attraction in owning a club in Spain.
Messi spent 17 years at Barcelona and built much of his legendary career in the country. He won 10 LaLiga titles and four Champions League trophies with the Catalan club before leaving Spain in 2021.
His connection with Spanish football therefore runs far deeper than business.
Eldense offers him a chance to build something of his own.
The club's location in Alicante also places the project within the wider Spanish football ecosystem, while its presence in the second division provides a much stronger competitive platform than Cornellà.
The long-term possibilities are obvious.
A successful Eldense could eventually become a pathway for young players, a development project and potentially a club capable of challenging for promotion to LaLiga.
But that journey is still only beginning.
The takeover still has hurdles to clear
Despite the excitement surrounding the announcement, the deal should not yet be described as completed.
Messi and the current ownership have reached an agreement in principle, but the transaction must go through the remaining legal and contractual processes. A due-diligence process is also required, while approval from Spain's High Council for Sports is necessary before the ownership change can be finalised.
The mayor of Elda, Rubén Alfaro, has also urged caution until the operation is formally concluded, despite confirming the agreement in principle.
So, for now, Messi is on the verge of becoming Eldense's owner, rather than officially being its owner.
That distinction matters.
From Barcelona icon to Spanish football investor
Messi's playing career made him one of the most recognisable figures Spanish football has ever produced.
His next chapter could see him trying to shape the game from the other side of the pitch.
Cornellà was the first move.
Eldense would be a considerably bigger one.
And unlike a simple sponsorship or minority investment, acquiring 100% of Eldense would give Messi the authority to determine where the club goes next.
Whether that eventually leads to a promotion push, a stronger academy structure or a wider football development network remains to be seen.
But the direction is becoming increasingly clear.
Lionel Messi is no longer simply preparing for life after football. He appears to be preparing to build a place for himself within football's ownership world.
And Eldense could become the biggest piece of that project yet.
Fan Debate
🔥 Fire: Messi taking full control of a Spanish professional club could become one of the most fascinating post-playing projects in football.
⚽ Goal: Eldense could benefit enormously from the expertise, connections and global profile Messi brings.
😮 Shock: One of football's greatest-ever players is potentially becoming the 100% owner of a second-tier Spanish club.
👍 Like: Building a football portfolio rather than simply retiring from the game gives Messi an intriguing next chapter.
💬 Comment: Could Messi eventually take Eldense all the way to LaLiga?
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