Messi's next move? Buying a club

Player

Lionel Messi, 39, is still turning out for Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami as of our most recent records, with 204 caps and 125 goals for Argentina behind him. This story isn't about his boots, though. It's about what he does with everything he built while wearing them.

Current club

Messi remains registered at Inter Miami, where his 2025 numbers on our books show four appearances, one goal, no assists, a small sample from a career that ran through Barcelona, PSG and now Major League Soccer. None of that changes with this news. He's not walking away from playing to run a boardroom, at least not yet.

Linked club

Eldense play in Spain's Segunda División, a rung below the level Messi spent his youth and prime years operating at with Barcelona. Capital Sports' own report frames this as Messi's second Spanish club, suggesting a prior ownership stake elsewhere in the country. Eldense's statement doesn't spell out that history, so the exact shape of his existing Spanish portfolio isn't confirmed here.

Source

The claim comes from Eldense's own club statement, relayed by Capital Sports. This isn't a leak or a tip from an anonymous account, it's the club itself confirming a preliminary agreement exists.

Reliability

This sits at advanced-talks. A club putting out a statement that a preliminary agreement has been reached is well past speculation or vague interest, it's a concrete step toward a deal. It's not official yet, though: no financial terms, no completion date, no confirmed shareholding percentage.

What's being claimed

Eldense say the agreement covers Messi taking a majority stake in the club. Nothing in the statement details what that stake looks like in percentage terms, what he'd pay, or whether he'd have any say in sporting decisions, transfers, or the manager's job.

What would make sense

Messi has spent years building an off-field portfolio beyond the pitch, and a Spanish second-tier club offers a low-cost, low-scrutiny entry point into ownership compared to buying into a top-flight side. If this is step one toward a broader post-playing career in club ownership, starting outside the media glare of La Liga's top division tracks with how plenty of ex-players have eased into the business side of the game.

What still needs to happen

A preliminary agreement is a handshake, not a signature. Due diligence, financing, regulatory approval and the actual transfer of shares all still need to happen before Eldense can call Messi their owner rather than their prospective one. Until Eldense or Messi's camp confirms those next steps, the smart move is to treat this as real momentum toward a deal, not a done one.