Published : 07 Oct 2026, 01:27 AM
Updated : 07 Oct 2026, 01:27 AM
Lionel Messi may be preparing to say goodbye to Argentina, but another chapter of his football life is already taking shape.
The 39-year-old has made no secret of where his interests lie once his playing days are over. Coaching does not appeal to him. Owning clubs does.
And what once sounded like a plan for the distant future is increasingly becoming a working operation spanning Spain, Uruguay and, eventually, the United States.
Messi completed the acquisition of Spanish second-tier club CD Eldense last week, subject to regulatory approval, adding it to UE Cornella, the Catalan fifth-tier side he bought in April.
Now new reporting from BBC Sport offers a clearer picture of how he sees those investments fitting together and the role he intends to play when he finally stops playing.
Building From Spain
Eldense is expected to sit at the top of the operation, with Cornella serving primarily as a breeding ground for young talent, according to BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague.
Messi, still playing for Inter Miami, is not yet running the clubs day to day. Trusted associates are expected to act as the link between him and the two Spanish sides until he can devote more time to them.
But he is hardly an absentee owner.
Balague reports that Messi watches every Eldense match on his computer and celebrated the club's 4-1 victory over Real Oviedo with an "Aupa Deportivo" message on Instagram.
His arrival has also brought immediate commercial interest.
Around a dozen potential sponsors approached Eldense within days of the takeover, according to the BBC, including companies that had previously held talks with the club as well as brands already associated with Messi.
For a club battling near the bottom of Spain's Segunda Division, the arrival of one of football's most recognisable names has suddenly changed its profile.
The immediate ambition, however, is considerably more modest than Messi's reputation might suggest.
Eldense's priority is survival in the second tier. Former Villarreal coach Javi Calleja was appointed following the takeover, while Spanish financial rules limit how much money can simply be poured into the playing squad.
Longer term, the project offers a glimpse of what Messi has previously said he wants from life after playing.
"I don't see myself as a coach," Messi told Argentine streaming channel Luzu TV earlier this year.
Instead, he said owning a club appealed to him.
"I want to have my own club, start from the bottom and make it big. Being able to give kids the opportunity to develop and achieve something important. If I had to choose, that would appeal to me more."
Beyond Eldense
That emphasis on young players runs through several of his emerging football interests.
Cornella have long been known for their academy, with a number of graduates going on to join Barcelona and other clubs.
In Uruguay, Messi has joined long-time friend and former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez in Deportivo LSM, another project with youth development at its heart.
The club grew out of Suarez's youth project before Messi joined him as a partner in 2025 and won promotion to Uruguay's third tier in its first season.
There is another link waiting for Messi in Miami.
His Inter Miami contract includes a future stake in the Major League Soccer club after he retires, potentially giving him an ownership interest in the team whose global profile he has helped transform since arriving in 2023.
For a time, an even larger network was considered.
Balague reports that discussions took place over acquiring more clubs and creating a broader operation, but the sums required to push teams through the divisions quickly cooled the idea. A wider network is no longer on the table, with the focus instead on developing Cornella and seeing whether Eldense can eventually establish themselves in La Liga.
Investing in the Next Generation
Messi's involvement in youth football extends beyond the clubs he owns.
The Messi Cup, an under-16 tournament launched in Miami last year, began with eight academies. Organisers initially expected Messi to appear at perhaps one or two matches.
Instead, he attended every game.
The tournament returns later this month with the field doubled to 16 academies, including Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Ajax and Messi-owned Cornella.
It is another indication that ownership, development and the next generation of players could form a substantial part of Messi's second act.
His interests outside football are already extensive.
Messi has investments spanning hotels, property, restaurants and commercial partnerships, while telling the America Business Forum in Miami last year that business was something he wanted to understand better.
"Business is something that interests me," he said. "I would like to keep learning because I know nothing and I am just starting out."
Football, however, remains the common thread.
No Goodbye to Football
Even retirement from club football may still be some distance away.
Messi's Inter Miami contract runs through the 2028 season, when he will be 41, and BBC Sport reports that the arrangement is reviewed annually. People close to him believe another extension remains possible if he still feels physically and mentally capable of playing.
The romantic ending many have imagined of Messi returning to boyhood club Newell's Old Boys also does not appear to be mapped out.
Balague reports that a move to Newell's has never been formally discussed.
What does appear much clearer is that Messi has little intention of leaving football behind.
