Lionel Messi is already actively preparing for life after his playing career. Still playing for Inter Miami at the age of 39, the Argentine legend has just become the owner of CD Eldense, a club competing in Spain’s second division. And it is not even his first club.
Rumored for several weeks, the takeover was officially announced by Eldense on Thursday. Lionel Messi is now taking control of a historic club founded more than a century ago and currently sitting 19th in Spain’s second tier.
Messi now owns two clubs in Spain
“Club Deportivo Eldense announces the acquisition of the club by Lionel Messi, opening a new and hopeful chapter in the institution’s more than 100-year history,” the club said in a statement. Eldense described it as a “long-term project” aimed at supporting the club’s sporting, institutional and social development.
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Most notably, Messi is beginning to build a small football empire in Spain. Last April, the former Barcelona star had already acquired UE Cornellà, a club competing in the fifth tier of Spanish football.
The World Cup winner therefore now owns two clubs in Spain while continuing his playing career in the United States. His post-playing future is beginning to take shape: after making history on the pitch, Messi now appears determined to move into club ownership and become a major figure behind the scenes.
