Lionel Messi acquires Spanish fifth-tier club UE Cornellà in long-term investment move
Lionel Messi’s purchase of Spanish fifth-tier side UE Cornella represents a broader trend of players seeing football assets as long-term investment opportunities, top football finance experts have said.
The Argentinian, who will be heading to the Fifa World Cup this year looking to defend the title he won in Qatar, will own 100 per cent of UE Cornella, based just outside of Barcelona, News.Az reports, citing City am.
He joins his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo in owning part of a Spanish team, with the Saudi-based Portuguese owning 25 per cent of Almeria, while Frenchman Kylian Mbappe holds shares in Ligue 2 club Caen.
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“Lionel Messi moving into club ownership reflects a broader shift among elite players turning their on pitch earnings into long term football assets,” football finance expert Professor Rob Wilson told City AM. “This provides a landscape where they can control operations, talent development and commercial strategy that can generate more stable returns than endorsements alone. Messi, who plays at Beckham’s Inter Miami, has shares in the MLS team and therefore has a multi-club position across global football.
UE Cornella said in a statement that Messi’s acquisition “marks the beginning of a new chapter in the club’s history”, adding that the new era will be “aimed at driving both sporting and institutional growth, strengthening its foundations, and continuing to invest in talent”.
The fifth-tier club added: “The project is guided by a long-term vision and a strategic plan that combines ambition, sustainability, and a strong connection to its local roots”. “Lionel Messi can move from dictating games to shaping institutions,” Professor added. “A quieter kind of control, but arguably the more powerful one. He was a cheat code on the pitch, if he invests in a club, the recipient will be hoping he’s a cheat code off it.”
By Leyla Şirinova
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