Lionel Messi has completed the acquisition of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense, the Alicante-based side announced, marking the Argentina star’s second investment in Spanish football.
The deal remains subject to regulatory approval. It follows Messi’s purchase of Catalan club Cornellà in April.
“Club Deportivo Eldense officially announces the acquisition of the club by Leo Messi, marking the start of a new and exciting chapter in the club’s history, which spans more than 100 years,” the club said in a statement on its website.
Eldense currently sit 19th in the 22-team Segunda División with one win and five points from their opening seven matches of the season.
The club added that Messi’s arrival “marks the beginning of a long-term project aimed at promoting the club’s sporting, institutional, and social development.”
Messi, 39, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 World Cup champion with Argentina, plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. He announced his retirement from international football in August. He reached a preliminary agreement to become Eldense’s majority shareholder in September, with the process now finalised.
Messi’s former rival Cristiano Ronaldo acquired a 25 percent stake in another Spanish club, Almería, earlier this year.
