Lionel Messi hasn’t kicked his final ball yet, and he’s already assembling a football empire on the side. The latest addition: CD Eldense, a struggling Spanish second-tier club currently sitting third from bottom. It’s a strange team to attach a Ballon d’Or résumé to – which is exactly why it’s worth paying attention to.

Messi has reached an agreement in principle to acquire 100% of Eldense’s shares from majority owner TH Soluciones Group, a Colombian investment group led bay Juan Carlos Trujillo that only took control of the club itself in October 2025. No third parties, no shared ownership – a clean, full takeover, pending Spain’s High Council for Sports (CSD) sign-off and the standard due diligence that comes before any transaction like this gets formalized.

Why Eldense, of All Clubs

On paper, this looks like an odd landing spot. Eldense is based in Elda, a town of roughly 55,000 people in Alicante, and has spent most of its history bouncing around Spain’s lower divisions. Fresh investment has pushed them into the Segunda División in three of the past four seasons – but “newly stabilized in the second tier” is a long way from the kind of club a global icon typically buys. That gap between the club’s profile and the buyer’s profile is the actual story here.

This Isn’t Messi’s First Purchase – It’s His Second

Eldense would become the second Spanish club in Messi’s growing portfolio. He bought fifth-tier UE Cornellà back in April, and a stake in Inter Miami is reportedly waiting for him once his playing contract there winds down. Three clubs, three tiers, three continents of relevance – a Catalan minnow, an MLS franchise, and now a Segunda side. That’s not a collector picking up trophies. That’s someone building infrastructure.

The Location Might Matter More Than the League Table

One detail worth sitting with: Elda isn’t far from Catalonia, where Messi has reportedly planned to settle once he steps away from playing for Inter Miami. A struggling second-division club within reach of his post-retirement home isn’t just a business asset – it reads like the first piece of whatever comes after his playing career ends, geographically positioned for him to actually be present rather than just own a name on a letterhead.

A Club in Crisis Right Now, Not Waiting for New Ownership

Whatever Messi’s long-term plans are, Eldense needs help immediately. The club has taken just two points from four league matches, already sacked manager Claudio Barragán – the first Segunda coach fired this season – and still hasn’t named a replacement. There was reportedly interest from Argentine businessman Ricardo Pini at around €12 million before Messi’s name entered the picture, but Eldense’s on-field freefall isn’t waiting for ownership paperwork to clear.

A World Cup winner buying a fifth-tier club in April could be read as sentiment. Adding a struggling second-division club five months later, with an MLS stake still pending on top of that, reads as strategy. Messi appears to be building a network across levels of Spanish football rather than making a single symbolic purchase – and doing it while he’s still playing, not waiting until retirement to start.