Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and legendary Argentina forward Lionel Messi is now the majority shareholder of Spanish second-division club Eldense, laying the foundation for his post-playing career.
Eldense, based in the port city of Alicante in southeast Spain and founded in 1921, confirmed that the club and Messi have reached an agreement to acquire a controlling stake.
However, the deal remains subject to approval by Spain’s National Sports Council, a standard process for ownership changes in Spanish football.
The past year has seen significant changes in club ownership, with Messi now becoming the third owner in a short span and buying the shares previously held by Grupo TH Soluciones.
This acquisition marks Messi’s second foray into Spanish
club ownership, as he also became the owner of UE Cornellà, a fifth-division semiprofessional team based in Barcelona, earlier this year. Eldense, however, represents his first investment in a fully professional Spanish club.
Messi’s connection to Barcelona runs deep: he relocated to Spain in 2000 at just 13 years old to join FC Barcelona's La Masia youth academy, which led to him playing for the senior team for 17 seasons.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lionel Messi becomes majority owner of Spanish club Eldense
