Lionel Messi retired from international football after 208 caps and told the world he's done with Argentina. He is not, however, done with football. The 39-year-old is quietly assembling a club ownership portfolio — and it's more serious than a vanity project.
"I would like to keep learning [about business] because I know nothing, and I am just starting out," Messi said at the America Business Forum. That reads like humility, but the moves he's already made suggest someone with a clear plan rather than a hobby.
Three clubs, one vision
The flagship is CD Eldense, the Spanish second-tier side Messi officially took over in September. Journalist Guillem Balague says it will "lead Messi's football operation" — which tells you everything about the hierarchy here. Former Villarreal manager Javi Calleja has been brought in to manage the football side while Messi remains focused on Inter Miami. Survival in the Segunda is the immediate priority. Promotion ambitions can wait.
Then there's UE Cornellà, a fifth-tier Catalan club Messi purchased in April. Founded in 1951, it's historically significant in the region and functions as what Balague calls a "nursery where young players grow." David Raya and Jordi Alba came through there. The idea is talent development, with Cornellà feeding into the wider operation. Think of it as the bottom of a pipeline Eldense sits at the top of.
The third piece is Deportivo LSM in Uruguay — a joint venture with Luis Suárez, built around a 20-acre sports complex Suárez funded back in 2018. The club competes in Uruguay's third tier and earned promotion in their first season, though the opening weeks of the new campaign have been rough enough to cost inaugural manager Rafael Cánovas his job. Former Nacional striker Álvaro Apólito replaced him in late September.
And then there's Miami
Messi still plays, of course. His Inter Miami contract runs until 2028, and at over $28 million in guaranteed MLS compensation for the 2026 season — with up to $60 million more from the club — he remains the league's highest earner by a distance. Miami's bet on him has paid off commercially and competitively.
When he does retire, his contract includes an option to take a minority ownership stake in the Herons. The exact size of that share hasn't been disclosed, but the intent is clear: Messi stays embedded in Miami long after the boots come off.
Four clubs across four countries. A development pipeline in Spain. A playing career still running into 2028, at minimum. Whatever Messi "knows nothing" about business, the portfolio suggests he's learning fast.
