Lionel Messi is set to acquire 100 per cent of a Valencia football team as the football superstar looks to expand his portfolio in Spain.

The former Barcelona player is reportedly close to agreeing a complete takeover of CD Eldense, a second-tier Spanish football team based in the autonomous community of Valencia’s Elda.

Spanish outlet Marca reported that Messi has agreed a deal in principle having earlier this year purchased a 100 per cent stake in Catalonian team UE Cornella. He also holds a direct equity option in his Major League Soccer team, Inter Miami.

The agreement means Messi joins both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gerard Pique as club owners in Spain’s LaLiga 2. Long-term rival Ronaldo holds a 25 per cent stake in UD Almeria through his CR7 investment vehicle while Pique’s Kosmos Holding owns 90 per cent of FC Andorra. 

Messi joins contemporaries in ownership

It is part of a wider trend of footballers going into club ownership, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe having a stake in French club SM Caen, Vinicius Jr in Portugal’s FC Alverca, N’Golo Kante in Belgium’s Royal Excelsior Virton and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Swedish team Hammarby IF.

Ronaldo’s former teammate Luka Modric owns some of UK Championship side Swansea City, alongside Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, while four former Bayern Munich stars were part of a recent takeover of Portuguese side Estrela Amadora.

CD Eldense is currently owned by Colombian businessman Juan Carlos Trujillo and his investment group, which also has holdings in Club Llaneros FC in his home country and Swiss side Bellinzona.

Between 2021 and 2023 CD Eldense achieved three promotions in three seasons before a relegation back to the third tier in 2025. They were promoted again last season and are yet to win in their opening four matches of their 2026-27 LaLiga 2 campaign.

Should the deal be approved, Eldense will join the likes of Cornella, Inter Miami and a wider hotel and tech investment firm in Messi’s investment portfolio.