Lionel Messi is closing in on majority ownership of Eldense, a La Liga 2 club sitting dead last with two points from four games and no head coach as of this week. Not exactly a glamour acquisition — but that's clearly not the point.
The deal, announced by Eldense themselves, covers the shares currently held by Grupo TH Soluciones. It's preliminary, not done. Due diligence still needs completing, and Spain's National Sports Council (CSD) must sign off before anything is official. Until then, treat this as confirmed intent rather than a completed transfer of power.
His second Spanish club in months
This would be Messi's second foothold in Spanish football in under a year. In April, he bought into Cornella — a fifth-tier Catalan club with obvious personal meaning given his 21 years at Barcelona. Eldense is a different proposition entirely: a professional second-division club in Alicante, competing in the same pyramid where his old club still sits at the top.
The timing is pointed. Cristiano Ronaldo took a 25% stake in Almeria back in February. Messi is now entering La Liga 2 as a majority shareholder. The rivalry, apparently, doesn't stay on the pitch.
For Eldense specifically, the arrival of Messi's name and capital couldn't come at a more desperate moment. They've sacked Claudio Barragan already, they're bottom of the table, and they need serious infrastructure investment if they're going to avoid an immediate drop back to the third division. Whether Messi's ownership translates into that kind of operational overhaul — or remains largely symbolic — is the real question worth watching.
What this means for Eldense's season
Bottom of La Liga 2 with a managerial vacancy is a rough place to be attracting headlines for the right reasons. Any bump in profile that brings better recruitment or financial backing matters immediately — the relegation battle starts now, not in January.
Messi, meanwhile, is still playing for Inter Miami in MLS. He turned 39 in June and is building what comes after football with the same systematic focus he brought to winning seven Ballons d'Or. Spain is clearly central to that plan.
The financial terms of the Eldense deal have not been disclosed.
