Lionel Messi set to become majority shareholder at Spanish second-division club Eldense

Lionel Messi is set to become the majority shareholder of Spanish second-division club Eldense.

Eldense, based near the port city of Alicante in south-east Spain, confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had reached a preliminary agreement with the club’s owners.

The deal will see him buy the shares held by Grupo TH Soluciones, subject to the completion of the remaining legal and contractual procedures.

The club did not provide financial details and did not say when the deal would be completed.

Eldense will become the second Spanish club the Argentina star has invested in. Earlier this year, he became the owner of a fifth-division side, Barcelona-based UE Cornella.

Eldense fired coach Claudio Barragan on Sunday after claiming just two points from four league matches this season.

Messi has built a strong bond with Spain. He arrived at Barcelona at age 13, when he and his family came to the country to try his luck at the club’s youth academy.

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He was the best player of his generation during two decades at Barcelona, where he won multiple titles before leaving in 2021.

Eldense has historical ties with Barcelona. It was founded by a group of supporters of the Catalan club in September 1921, hence its blue and red colors.

The 39-year-old Messi was named this week on the shortlist for another Ballon d’Or award after guiding Argentina to a runner-up finish at the World Cup and winning the MLS Cup with Inter Miami

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here