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Messi Acquires Spanish Fifth-Tier Club Ue Cornella
- On Thursday, Argentinian footballer Leo Messi formalized his 100 per cent acquisition of Spanish club UE Cornella, marking his first venture into owning a European football club.
- Renowned for its youth academy, the Baix Llobregat-based club developed players such as Jordi Alba and David Raya while operating as an institution within a working-class neighborhood near Barcelona.
- Previously scoring 672 goals in 778 games for FC Barcelona, Messi—who is 38 and plays for Inter Miami in the MLS—aims to guide the new acquisition toward professional status using a structured investment strategy.
- Currently competing in the fourth tier Tercera RFEF, the team has already secured a playoff spot, with the new ownership project aiming to drive sporting and institutional growth while maintaining local roots.
- Messi follows peers like David Beckham, who owns Inter Miami, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who invested in Almera, joining a growing trend of athlete-investors highlighting an increasing shift toward player-led club management.
163 Articles
163 Articles
Lionel Messi takes full ownership of a Spanish club
Argentine star Lionel Messi has become the new owner of Cornella (UE Cornella), following the completion of a 100% takeover of the Catalan football club. According to the newspaper, the deal was finalised on Thursday 16 April 2026, meaning the club, which competes in the Spanish third division (Tercera Federación – Catalan Group), is now wholly owned by Messi. Lionel Messi buys UE Cornella Cornella is a club based in the Catalonia region. Founde…
Messi Acquires Spanish Club Cornellà, Matching Ronaldo’s Move Into Ownership
Key Points — Lionel Messi has acquired UE Cornellà, a 75-year-old fifth-division Spanish football club located in the Barcelona metropolitan area, where the Argentine star moved at age 12 to join FC Barcelona’s youth academy — The purchase puts Messi in direct competition with Cristiano Ronaldo, who bought a stake in UD Almería in February […] The post Messi Acquires Spanish Club Cornellà, Matching Ronaldo’s Move Into Ownership appeared first on…
Lionel Messi purchases club weeks after Cristiano Ronaldo does the same to ramp up new rivalry
Lionel Messi has purchased a fifth-tier Spanish side just weeks after Cristiano Ronaldo did the same in the next step of the pair's rivalry.The Argentine has secured complete control of UE Cornella, which sits just five miles from Camp Nou on the outskirts of Barcelona.The purchase price has not been disclosed, but the move signals Messi's preparations for his post-playing career.The Inter Miami forward's decision to invest in a club so close to…
"It is a transformation that will protect the club and that will strengthen the teams." This is the reaction of the mayor of Cornellà de Llobregat, Antonio Balmón, to the purchase by Leo Messi of the Unió Esportiva (UE) Cornellà. A media operation that has put the focus on this humble team of Tercera RFEF and its facilities in the city of Baix Llobregat.Keep reading....
UE Cornella, based in Catalonia, announced that eight-time world football player Lionel Messi has purchased the Spanish fifth division club.
Lionel Messi Buys Spanish football club
Lionel Messi has boldly stepped into football ownership, purchasing Spanish side UE Cornellà in a move that signals a clear shift toward his post-playing future. The World Cup winner, still actively playing for Inter Miami CF, has acquired full ownership of the Catalonia-based club, which currently competes in Spain’s lower divisions. While financial details of the deal have not been widely… Source
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