Messi acquires a club in Barcelona: An introduction to UE Cornellà.
Inter Miami CF’s prominent player Lionel Messi made headlines in Barcelona once more on Thursday with the unexpected news of his purchase of Spanish fifth-tier club UE Cornellà.
The impact has been swift. Messi’s ownership has been hailed as a “great day” by Cornellà de Llobregat’s mayor, Antonio Balmón, while the club’s Instagram following surged from 40,000 to nearly 200,000 within a day of the announcement.
This is not Messi’s initial venture into club ownership. The Argentina captain is also a stakeholder in Uruguayan professional team Deportivo LSM, alongside his Miami and former Barça teammate Luis Suárez.
The future plans Messi has for Cornellà, who don green-and-white colors just south of Barcelona, are yet to be revealed. However, given the club’s recent history and its ability to nurture talent, there is potential for development in the upcoming years.
Here’s what you should know about Messi’s new club.
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1. Love thy neighbour
Messi has quite literally set up near the home of Barça’s rivals, Espanyol. The semi-professional Cornellà’s home ground, Camp Municipal de Cornellà, is in close proximity to Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium. The two venues share the same access points, allowing fans to travel from one match to the other in under a minute.
Despite their proximity, the two stadiums differ significantly. Cornellà plays on an artificial surface, has one recognized stand, and accommodates around 1,500 spectators. In contrast, the RCDE Stadium can host 37,776 fans and is a 4-star UEFA-rated facility that opened in 2009.
Espanyol’s location in Cornellà, a municipality within the Barcelona metro area, has been a point of contention in their rivalry with Barça. The club is officially known as RCD Espanyol de Barcelona, having been established in the city and playing there for over a century before relocating to the RCDE Stadium. However, former Barça defender Gerard Pique, who owns second-division side Andorra, stirred controversy in 2018 by referring to them as “RCD Espanyol de Cornellà.”
2. Player production line
Cornellà has served as a successful launching pad for numerous professional careers. Notable players such as Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and former Barça defender Jordi Alba have spent time at the club. Current Barça centre-back Gerard Martín, along with Espanyol’s Javi Puado, Real Betis’ Aitor Ruibal, Austin FC’s Ilie Sánchez, and Senegal international Keita Baldé, are among other distinguished alumni still active in the sport.
The youth teams frequently compete against Barça and Espanyol, providing them with opportunities to challenge themselves against top-tier talent and serving as a showcase for potential transfers to nearby LaLiga clubs.
The first team has often shared a division with Barcelona’s B team, and even their C team in the past. In fact, Messi, while playing for the now-defunct C team in 2004, participated in a league match against Cornellà that ended in a goalless draw.
3. Back-to-back relegations
Messi could have faced Cornellà in the Copa del Rey in 2021, but he was unavailable due to a two-game suspension following a red card in the Spanish Supercopa final.
Cornellà took that match into extra time, with Barça ultimately winning 2-0, but the club has faced challenges since then. At that time, they were competing in the third tier of Spanish football. They remained there for a few more years but experienced consecutive relegations in 2023-24 and 2024-25, resulting in their current position in the fifth tier.
Known as the Tercera Federation, they are one of 324 clubs divided into 18 regional groups striving to ascend the Spanish football hierarchy.
4. Messi vs. Alba
This season, Cornellà’s promotion efforts face an intriguing twist: they are competing against Messi’s former Barça and Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba, who is part of the ownership group at L’Hospitalet, another club located south of Barcelona.
Alba, along with former Barça midfielder Thiago Alcântara, now part of Hansi Flick’s staff at Camp Nou, has been involved with L’Hospitalet since last year, providing guidance on various strategic and sporting matters.
Both Cornellà and L’Hospitalet are currently positioned for playoff contention, with a five-point gap separating the two teams and four matches remaining. In a storyline reminiscent of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s “Welcome to Wrexham” documentary, the two clubs are set to meet on the final day of the season.
5. Could Messi reignite Tom Brady link?
In the context of celebrity ownership in European football, Messi’s arrival at Cornellà might rekindle the club’s partnership with Tom Brady’s Birmingham City. Cornellà and Birmingham established a strategic alliance focused on youth development, scouting collaboration, and player pathway exchanges in 2018. Several minor agreements followed, but the partnership seems to be currently inactive.
Additionally, there is another connection to American football: former NFL star J.J. Watt became a minority investor in Espanyol last year.
