Lionel Messi completes takeover of Spanish side Eldense

Lionel Messi has completed the purchase of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense. The club announced Messi as its new owner on 1 October 2026. The deal is subject to regulatory approval, BBC Sport reported.

That last step matters. It means officials must still sign off on the change of ownership before it is fully cleared. It is a normal check in professional football, designed to test that a club's finances and leadership are in order.

Messi, 39, had reached a preliminary agreement in September to become the club's majority shareholder. That term simply means the person holding most of the shares, and with it most of the votes on the club's future. In Eldense's case, the agreement covers 100% of the shares, Yahoo Sports reported.

Eldense are the second Spanish club Messi has invested in. He bought Catalan side UE Cornella on 16 April 2026. That purchase came first, five months before the Eldense agreement took shape.

He takes over a team fighting hard at the wrong end of the table. Eldense sit 19th in a 22-team division. That is Spain's second tier, one step below La Liga, the top flight where the country's biggest names play each week.

The start to the season has been tough. Eldense have one win and five points from their opening seven games. It is a struggle so far. Every point matters down there.

The club itself confirmed the news on its website, naming Messi as the new proprietor, CD Eldense said. For supporters, that brings a new kind of spotlight. A modest second-tier club suddenly has a global name on the ownership papers.

What makes this stand out is the human side. Takeovers change the mood in a town, in a dressing room, in a stand. Players hear new voices. Fans start to wonder what comes next, from new shirts to new signings to a new plan for the stadium.

None of that can move until the regulators give the nod. Once they do, Messi's team can begin work in earnest. Until then, Eldense must keep fighting for points with the season already under way. The next game comes quickly.