Lionel Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire a Spanish second-division football team, according to a local news report.
The Argentine player plans to buy a majority stake in Eldense, pending due diligence, Spanish news agency EFE reported, citing sources close to the deal. A final agreement is expected within days, it said.
Eldense is a 105-year old team based in the town of Elda, in the coastal region of Valencia. The club would become the second acquired in Spain by Messi this year, and the first that plays in a professional league. He bought fifth-division Unió Esportiva Cornellà in April.
The club has spent most of its existence between the second and third divisions, as well as regional leagues, and was close to shuttering at the turn of the century. Its plays in a stadium with 5,776 seats.
Buying Eldense would add to Messi’s growing club stable, as well as his expanding business activities. His family founded a club in Argentina called Leones, he owns a stake in a Uruguayan club with teammate Luis Suárez, and he has an option to acquire a stake in Inter Miami, where he currently plays, after he retires.
Beyond football, Messi’s business interests include a real-estate investment trust listed in Spain, a US-based venture capital fund, and a stake in an Argentine restaurant chain.
A representative for Messi declined to comment.
His investments, combined with his sponsorship and playing contracts have allowed him to enter the small group of active athletes who are estimated to be worth more than US$1 billion. The group includes his long-time on-pitch rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who owns Almería football team in Spain.
by Rodrigo Orihuela, Bloomberg
Comments