Lionel Messi buys CD Eldense with Spanish regulatory approval still pending

Lionel Messi has acquired Spanish second-division club CD Eldense, although the transaction remains subject to regulatory approval. BBC Sport reported the purchase on Thursday, and Eldense announced Messi as its new owner in a club statement. It is the second Spanish club investment for the 39-year-old Argentine, following his purchase of Catalan side Cornella in April.

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Eldense said the transaction still needs the required authorisation from Spain's CSD under the country's sports law. That condition remains outstanding despite the club's announcement of the acquisition. According to BBC Sport, Messi reached a preliminary agreement in September to become the majority shareholder, with the purchase process now completed subject to that approval.

The Alicante-based club described the ownership change as the start of a long-term undertaking focused on its sporting, institutional and social development. Founded in 1921, Eldense said it wanted to establish itself more firmly in professional football and grow, while retaining the roots, history and identity of an institution with more than a century behind it.

The announcement comes with Eldense 19th in Spain's 22-team second division. BBC Sport reported that the club had taken five points from its opening seven matches, winning once. Those results provide the immediate sporting backdrop to the acquisition, alongside the broader development ambitions set out by the club in its statement announcing Messi's arrival.

Messi remains a player with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and announced his retirement from international football in August, according to BBC Sport. His purchase of Eldense follows the Cornella deal earlier this year, adding another Spanish club to his ownership interests while he continues his playing career in the United States.

His connection with Spanish football began long before either investment. Messi moved from Argentina to Spain at 13 and made his Barcelona first-team debut at 17 in October 2004. He scored a club-record 672 goals in 778 appearances, winning 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. He left for Paris St-Germain in 2021 before joining Inter Miami in 2023.