In Elda, a city in Spain’s Alicante province, Lionel Messi’s growing life beyond the pitch has taken another step. The Argentine forward has acquired Eldense, adding the Segunda División side to a club portfolio that already reaches from Catalonia to Uruguay, Rosario and Miami.
The transaction, confirmed at the start of October, still requires approval from Spain’s Higher Sports Council under the country’s Sports Law. Reports in Spain have placed the value of the deal at about €12 million.
Eldense are the second Spanish club to become part of Messi’s ownership interests this year. In April, he bought all shares in UE Cornellà, a Tercera RFEF team playing at the fifth level of Spanish football. The precise fee was not disclosed, although Spanish reports put it close to €2 million.
Messi has sent messages to players and published support for both Eldense and Cornellà, but the extent of his day-to-day involvement in their administration has not been made public.
A network extending beyond Spain
The Eldense agreement makes the 38-year-old directly linked in an administrative capacity to five clubs, although his roles differ considerably across them.
In Uruguay, Messi became a strategic partner of Deportivo LSM in May 2025. The club was founded in 2018 by his long-time friend and former Barcelona strike partner Luis Suárez, and competes in the Primera División Amateur. Seven years after its formation, Messi joined the project, though he is not involved in direct board-level decision-making.
His connection to Leones de Rosario FC is a family one. The club, now in Argentina’s Primera C, the fourth tier of the national pyramid, was established by the Messi family in 2015. His brother Matías Messi serves as president, while sister María Sol is an alternate board member and nephew Tomás Matías is an alternate accounts reviewer.
Then there is Inter Miami, the club where Messi continues to play in Major League Soccer. His contract includes a provision that could allow him to become a co-owner once his playing career ends, potentially giving the Florida side a central role in his post-retirement football life.
A final Argentina appearance approaches
Messi is also nearing another landmark on the international stage. He is set to play his final match for Argentina on Tuesday, 6 October, bringing the end of his national-team career closer even as his involvement in football business expands.
For now, his investments place him at different points of the game’s map: a historic club seeking momentum in Spain’s second division, a lower-league side near Barcelona, Suárez’s developing project in Uruguay, a family club in Rosario and the MLS team that could become his own after the boots are put away.
