Lionel Messi Set to Acquire CD Eldense in Spain
Lionel Messi is poised to step into full club ownership in Spain, with a deal in place to take complete control of CD Eldense in the Segunda Division.
According to Marca, the Inter Miami star has reached an agreement in principle to buy 100 per cent of the Alicante-based club’s shares, with no third-party partners involved. The move now hinges on the final stages of due diligence and the formal green light from Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD), expected in the coming days.
If ratified, Eldense will move from the hands of an investment group to one of the most powerful figures in modern football.
From investment fund to Messi era
Eldense’s recent history has already been turbulent off the pitch. The club was previously controlled by an international investment group led by businessman Juan Carlos Trujillo, who took over from Pascual Perez in October 2025.
That structure looked set to continue when Argentine investor Ricardo Pini arrived with a proposed €12 million offer. Talks advanced, interest grew, and a new direction seemed close.
Then Messi entered the frame.
His sudden appearance at the negotiating table dramatically altered the landscape, effectively hijacking the process and putting him on course to become the new owner of the Elda side, based in the province of Alicante and within reach of Catalonia’s football heartlands.
A growing football empire
This is not an isolated play. It is part of a clear strategy.
Earlier this year, the Messi family added Spanish fifth-tier side UE Cornella to their portfolio, signalling a serious commitment to club ownership rather than a vanity project. The Argentina captain has also teamed up with long-time friend Luis Suarez to buy Uruguayan outfit Deportivo LSM, extending their reach into South American football.
The family’s influence stretches further still. At Lions FC, Messi’s brother Matias serves as club president, underlining how deeply embedded the Messis now are in the governance side of the sport.
Eldense, if the deal is completed, becomes the latest piece in a growing network that spans multiple tiers and countries.
Crisis on the pitch, change in the boardroom
While the boardroom prepares for a seismic shift, life on the pitch has been far less glamorous.
Eldense have stumbled out of the blocks in the Segunda Division, collecting just two points from their first four matches. That bleak return cost head coach Claudio Barragan his job, leaving the dugout empty at a time when the club can least afford uncertainty.
The hierarchy now faces a race against time: appoint a new head coach, steady a wobbling squad, and stop the slide down the table before early-season problems harden into a survival fight.
Messi’s impending arrival as majority shareholder will not solve tactical issues overnight. But it should change almost everything else. Fresh capital, a clear long-term vision, and the pull of his name could reshape Eldense’s recruitment, infrastructure and ambition.
The question now is not whether CD Eldense will change under Messi — it is how quickly that change will hit the pitch.
