Messi completes takeover of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense

Argentine football star Lionel Messi completed the acquisition of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense, the club announced Thursday, in a deal that remains subject to regulatory approval.

Eldense said in a statement that Messi’s takeover marked the beginning of a “new and exciting stage” in the club’s more than 100-year history and would launch a long-term project aimed at strengthening its sporting, institutional and social development.

The transaction still requires approval from Spain’s Higher Sports Council under the country’s sports law. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Messi, 39, acquired the shares held by Eldense’s previous majority shareholder, a Colombian investment group, becoming the club’s majority owner.

The purchase is Messi’s second investment in a Spanish football club this year after he acquired Catalan side UE Cornella in April.

Founded in 1921 and based in the city of Elda in Spain’s Alicante province, Eldense compete in the country’s second-tier Segunda Division.

The club said it enters the new era with the aim of consolidating its place in professional football while maintaining its local identity and traditions.

Messi currently plays for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.