Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Lionel Messi has been confirmed as the new owner of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense, with the Alicante-based outfit announcing on Thursday that the Argentine superstar has completed the acquisition of the club from Colombian investment group TH Soluciones Group S.A.S. The move marks Messi's second club ownership venture in Spain, following his purchase of UE Cornellà in April 2026.
Eldense confirmed the ownership change in an official statement on X, saying the transaction had been completed, though it remains subject to the required authorisation from Spain's Higher Sports Council under the terms established by the Sports Law. "CD Eldense officially announces the acquisition of the club by Leo Messi, marking the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in the institution's more than 100-year history," the club said. "The arrival of one of the most important figures in the history of sport as owner of CD Eldense in Spanish professional football marks the beginning of a long-term project aimed at promoting the sporting, institutional and social development of CD Eldense".
The agreement in principle was first announced on September 8, 2026, when Eldense confirmed that Messi had reached a preliminary deal with the club's current owners to acquire 100 per cent of the shares held by TH Soluciones Group. Reports in Spain indicated that the deal was worth approximately 15 million euros and would make Messi the sole shareholder of the club through one of his companies. The operation had been pending the completion of due diligence, legal and contractual procedures, and the mandatory authorisation from the CSD.
TH Soluciones Group, a Colombian investment firm, had taken control of Eldense in October 2025, less than a year before agreeing to transfer its entire stake to Messi. The club had been seeking stability after years of financial and administrative challenges, and Messi's acquisition is expected to bring increased international attention to a club that has spent much of its history outside Spain's top two divisions.
Founded in 1921, CD Eldense first appeared in the Segunda División in the 1956–57 season, narrowly avoiding relegation after finishing 16th, with that first spell in the second tier lasting three years. The club returned to the second division in 2023 after a prolonged absence, securing promotion on June 25, 2023, with a draw against Real Madrid Castilla. This season marks the club's eighth campaign in the Segunda División, and it currently sits 19th in the 22-team table, in the relegation zone, having mustered just five points from a possible 21. The club's position on the pitch underscores the scale of the challenge that Messi's ownership will be expected to address.
Messi's growing portfolio of football investments extends beyond Spain. His April 2026 acquisition of UE Cornellà, a fifth-tier club on the outskirts of Barcelona with a reputation for youth development, was his first foray into Spanish club ownership. He is also linked to Leones de Rosario, owned by his family, and Deportivo LSM of Uruguay alongside Luis Suárez. He is set to receive a stake in his current club, Inter Miami, after the expiry of his playing contract. The Eldense acquisition adds a professional club in Spain's second tier to a portfolio that now spans multiple countries and levels of the football pyramid.
The takeover places Messi alongside a growing list of high-profile football figures who have moved into club ownership. Former Barcelona teammate Gerard Piqué's Kosmos group owns Andorra, who also play in Spain's second tier. Real Madrid forwards Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé are part of investment groups that are majority shareholders at Alverca in Portugal and SM Caen in France, respectively. Messi's entry into the ownership ranks at Eldense reflects a broader trend of active and retired players seeking to shape the institutional and commercial direction of clubs rather than remaining solely within the playing side of the game.
Spain's strict salary limit rules will constrain Messi's ability to invest heavily in signing players for Eldense, meaning his impact will likely be felt more in the club's institutional development, commercial strategy and long-term planning than in immediate on-pitch spending. The club said the project would focus on consolidating its position and growing in professional football while projecting its roots, history and blue-and-red identity. The CSD's approval remains the final regulatory step before the transaction is fully formalised under Spanish sports law, and the club has not announced a timeline for that decision.
For Eldense's supporters, the arrival of Messi as owner represents both an extraordinary moment of global visibility and a source of cautious optimism about the club's future. The club's centenary history and its recent return to professional football's second tier provide a foundation on which a long-term project can be built. For Messi, the acquisition is another step in a post-playing transition that has increasingly positioned him as an influential figure in football business, complementing a career that made him one of the most decorated players in the sport's history. As Eldense put it, the club enters this new chapter with the ambition of consolidating its position and growing in professional football. The coming months will determine whether the promise of Messi's ownership translates into stability and progress for a club that has long operated in the shadow of Spain's larger institutions.
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