Lionel Messi is not just chasing goals anymore, he is chasing ownership stakes across Spanish football, and his latest move is his boldest yet. According to a source who confirmed the news to ESPN, and reports from Marca and Diario AS, the Inter Miami forward has reached a preliminary agreement to take over Spanish second division side Eldense. If the deal closes, this becomes Messi’s first professional club purchase in Spain, and the football world is already buzzing about what it means.
What The Eldense Deal Actually Involves
Eldense are currently owned by Colombian investment group TH, led by businessman Juan Carlos Trujillo, who acquired the club back in October 2025 from Pascual Perez.
Messi is reportedly set to acquire 100 percent of the club’s shares in a solo venture, with no partners or former teammates joining him this time. The deal still requires the completion of due diligence and formal approval from Spain’s National Sports Council, but multiple outlets report an official announcement could land within days. Unlike previous moves involving friends and former Barcelona colleagues, this transaction reportedly moves forward without third-party investment, a signal of just how personal this project is to Messi.
Why Eldense, And Why Now
Founded in 1921, Eldense have spent most of their history outside Spain’s top two divisions. They returned to the Segunda Division for the first time since 1964 back in 2023, suffered relegation in 2025, and bounced right back up this past summer. The timing of Messi’s arrival could not be more dramatic.
The club sits near the bottom of the table without a single win through four matches, and head coach Claudio Barragan was sacked earlier this week, becoming the first managerial casualty of the Segunda Division season. Eldense now enter a new era without a manager but potentially with the most famous name in football history holding the keys.
Location matters here too. Elda, in the province of Alicante, sits close to Catalonia, the region where Messi has reportedly signaled plans to eventually settle after his playing career winds down with Inter Miami.
Messi’s Ownership Portfolio Keeps Expanding
Eldense would mark Messi’s second Spanish club acquisition of the year, following his purchase of fifth-division side UE Cornella back in April 2026. That distinction matters because Cornella remain semi-professional, meaning Eldense would become Messi’s first fully professional club investment in the country.
His football business interests do not stop at Spain’s borders either. Messi holds a partial stake alongside Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez in Uruguayan club Deportivo LSM, while his brother Matias serves as club president of Lions FC.
Spanish football governance rules could eventually force some interesting decisions. Because the Royal Spanish Football Federation is unlikely to allow Messi to hold majority ownership of two clubs competing in the same division, his ambitions with Cornella may face a ceiling if Eldense continues climbing.
What Comes Next
For now, the football world watches two storylines unfold in parallel. On the field, Eldense search for a new manager and their first win of the season. Off it, Messi’s camp works through the legal formalities standing between agreement and ownership.
One thing is already certain, the same competitive instincts that defined Messi’s playing career are now clearly shaping his post-retirement blueprint, and Spanish football’s lower divisions are about to get a lot more interesting.
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