Messi to buy 100 per cent of Valencia football team

Lionel Messi is on the verge of securing full ownership of Valencia football team CD Eldense, according to Spanish media outlet Marca. The football icon, once a star at Barcelona, is reportedly nearing a complete takeover of the second-tier Spanish club based in Elda, a town in the autonomous community of Valencia. Messi has previously invested in Catalan side UE Cornella, which he acquired 100 per cent of earlier this year.

Additionally, he holds a direct equity option in Major League Soccer team Inter Miami. This potential move would add Messi to the ranks of club owners Cristiano Ronaldo and Gerard Pique in Spain's LaLiga 2. Ronaldo owns a 25 per cent stake in UD Almeria through his CR7 investment vehicle, while Pique’s Kosmos Holding holds 90 per cent of FC Andorra.

This acquisition aligns with a growing trend of footballers investing in club ownership, with other notable examples including Kylian Mbappe's stake in French club SM Caen, Vinicius Jr's ownership in Portugal's FC Alverca, N'Golo Kante's involvement in Royal Excelsior Virton in Belgium, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's stake in Swedish team Hammarby IF.

Messi's potential purchase of CD Eldense would follow the acquisition of Colombian businessman Juan Carlos Trujillo and his investment group, who currently own the club. Trujillo's stake is part of a portfolio that also includes Club Llaneros FC in Colombia and Swiss side Bellinzona. CD Eldense, who have experienced significant promotion in recent seasons, including three in three years before a relegation in 2025, and again last season, would join the ownership portfolio of Cornella, Inter Miami, and a broader investment firm if the deal is approved.