Lionel Messi Set To Buy Spanish Second Club
Lionel Messi Set To Buy Spanish Second Club 
Eldense
Eldense are currently owned by Colombian investment group Grupo TH, which also holds clubs in Colombia and Switzerland.
Ace footballer, Lionel Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Eldense, a Spanish second division club, according to an ESPN report on Tuesday citing a source familiar with the deal.
The agreement is still contingent on due diligence and sign-off from Spain’s National Sports Council.
Eldense are currently owned by Colombian investment group Grupo TH, which also holds clubs in Colombia and Switzerland.
Should the deal go through, it would mark Messi’s second Spanish club ownership, following his April 2026 acquisition of Cornella, a fifth-tier, Barcelona based side whose alumni include Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba.
Unlike Cornella, which remains semi-professional, Eldense would represent Messi’s first foray into owning a fully professional Spanish club.
The 39-year-old forward, currently at Inter Miami, also holds a partial stake in Uruguayan side Deportivo LSM alongside teammate Luis Suárez.
With three divisions separating Eldense and Cornella, simultaneous ownership isn’t expected to create regulatory issues for now though the Royal Spanish Football Federation would likely block Messi from holding majority stakes in two clubs competing in the same division.
Founded in 1921, Eldense have spent most of their history outside Spain’s top two tiers. They returned to the second division in 2023 their first appearance there since 1964 before being relegated in 2025 and winning promotion back this past summer.
The club have endured a rocky start this season, going winless in four matches, a run that cost coach Claudio Barragán his job earlier this week.
Eldense are currently searching for a new manager and play their home games at the 5,776-capacity Nuevo Pepico Amat stadium in Elda.
