Lionel Messi has acquired a majority stake in Spanish second-tier club CD Eldense, the club announced on Thursday, 1 October, with the transaction still awaiting mandatory regulatory approval.
The announcement expands the Argentine footballer’s involvement in club ownership while he continues his playing career with Inter Miami in the United States. It also brings international attention to an institution whose history stretches back more than a century.
In its official announcement, Eldense described Messi’s arrival as the beginning of a long-term project covering the club’s sporting, institutional and social development. It said the ambition was to strengthen its position in professional football while preserving its history and local identity. (cdeldense.es)
Regulatory approval remains outstanding
Although Eldense has announced the acquisition, its statement explicitly says the transaction remains subject to authorisation from Spain’s Consejo Superior de Deportes, or CSD, under the country’s Sports Law.
The statement does not give a timetable for that decision. It also does not disclose the purchase price, Messi’s precise ownership percentage, or the financial commitments attached to the acquisition.
Those details leave the financial structure of the takeover only partly visible. The announcement establishes the club’s intended direction under Messi, but provides no detailed investment programme against which supporters can yet assess its plans.
Eldense’s stated objectives are broad, encompassing development across the organisation. Specific commitments on recruitment, facilities, or staffing were not included in the announcement. (cdeldense.es)
Agreement followed September negotiations.
According to Reuters’ report, Messi agreed in September to acquire all the Eldense shares held by a Colombian investment group that had been the club’s majority shareholder.
Reuters reported that Eldense were 19th in the Segunda División when the acquisition was announced, having lost four of their opening seven matches. The ownership change therefore arrives during a difficult start to the season, with the team seeking to avoid relegation.
The agreement concerns ownership of the club. It does not include an announcement that Messi will join Eldense as a player or leave Inter Miami. (reuters.com)
A club with deep roots in Elda
Based in Elda, in Spain’s Alicante province, Eldense was founded in 1921. Its announcement places particular emphasis on maintaining the club’s roots and its blue-and-red identity as it pursues growth in professional football. (efe.com)
The club’s history includes successive periods of advancement through the Spanish league system. In an earlier farewell to captain Forte, Eldense credited him with helping secure three consecutive promotions that took the team into the second division.
That account illustrates the sporting progress that preceded the latest ownership announcement. Messi is arriving at a club whose recent rise was built through performances across several divisions. (cdeldense.es)
Its home stadium, the Nuevo Pepico Amat, also reflects those local connections. The ground is named after José Amat Cerdán, known as Pepico Amat, an Elda-born footballer and coach who played for Espanyol in the 1940s. (cdeldense.es)
Another ownership move in Spain
The Eldense acquisition follows Messi’s purchase of UE Cornellà earlier this year. The Catalan club announced on 16 April that he had officially acquired the institution, describing his arrival as the beginning of a new chapter.
Cornellà, founded in 1951 and based in Cornellà de Llobregat, provides another connection between Messi and Spanish football beyond his playing career. Its announcement presented the acquisition as bringing his footballing vision to the club. (uecornella.cat)
The two announcements establish Messi’s involvement with separate Spanish institutions. Neither of the statements reviewed sets out a shared management structure, a combined player-development programme, or formal arrangements between the clubs.
Ownership alongside an established playing career
Messi’s move into ownership comes after a playing career that has included a World Cup title with Argentina and a record eighth Ballon d’Or, awarded in 2023.
Inter Miami confirmed his eighth award while highlighting his role in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup campaign. The American club also credited him with helping deliver its first trophy, the 2023 Leagues Cup, shortly after his arrival. (intermiamicf.com, intermiamicf.com)
Those achievements explain the attention surrounding the Eldense announcement, but the club’s immediate sporting task remains its league campaign.
For now, the next formal step identified by Eldense is CSD authorisation. Further announcements will be needed to establish the investment, management, and operational plans behind the long-term ambitions outlined by the club.
