Messi buys club in Spain! Date set for clash with CR7's club

Messi buys club in Spain! Date set for clash with CR7's club Shortly before his departure from the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi is turning to new challenges: the 39-year-old is becoming an owner of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense. The involvement of the sports icon marks “a new, hopeful phase in the more than hundred-year history” of the club founded in 1921, the team currently sitting 19th in the Segunda División said. The transaction is still subject to approval by the Spanish Sports Council (CSD). Messi’s arrival adds a whole new edge to the Segunda División: the legendary rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is now shifting to the executive level. Back in February 2026, Ronaldo, through his company CR7 Sports Investments, acquired 25 percent of fellow league club UD Almería. On the opening matchday of the 2026/27 season, the clubs had already met in mid-August (a 3:0 win for Almería), though that came before Messi’s takeover agreement. The first direct clash between the clubs under both superstars’ stewardship as co-owners will therefore take place on May 2, 2027 (Matchday 37) at the Estadio Pepico Amat in Elda. Messi will play his 208th and final international match on October 6 against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Alongside the final steps of his active career, the Argentine is now opening the next chapter as a club owner. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.