Messi buys club in Spain! Date set for clash with CR7's club
Lionel Messi has become an owner of the Spanish second-division club CD Eldense. This move sets up a future executive-level rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, who previously acquired a stake in UD Almería.
Why it matters
The transition of global sports icons from players to club owners marks a new trend in football business and ownership structures.
Shortly before his departure from the Argentine national team , Lionel Messi is turning to new challenges: the 39-year-old is becoming an owner of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense. The involvement of the sports icon marks "a new, hopeful phase in the more than hundred-year history" of the club founded in 1921, the team currently sitting 19th in the Segunda División said.
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