Messi Chooses Club Ownership Over Coaching, BBC Reports
Lionel Messi has decided to become a football club owner rather than a coach after his playing career, BBC Sport reports: a substantial Inter Miami stake awaits when he hangs up his boots, while a return to Newell's Old Boys is definitively off the table.
BBC Sport: Messi has chosen his next role
Lionel Messi has made one of the biggest decisions of his post-playing life — and it does not involve a tracksuit on the touchline. BBC Sport reports that the 39-year-old plans to become a full-fledged football club owner once he stops playing, ruling out a move into coaching entirely.
The decision, reported by the British broadcaster in the days around Messi's emotional Argentina farewell against Benin, gives the clearest picture yet of where the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner sees himself after football. Coaching, with its relentless weekly pressure cycle, holds no appeal; ownership does.
According to the report, Messi intends to acquire a substantial stake in Inter Miami and join the MLS franchise's ownership group as soon as he hangs up his boots — a natural next step at the club where he will finish his playing days.
The Inter Miami clause
A route into the Miami boardroom has reportedly been open to Messi for years. His original Inter Miami contract included a special clause allowing him to become a minority co-owner on favourable terms once his playing career ends, according to the BBC's reporting.
His playing deal with the club runs to the end of the 2028 MLS season, reviewed on a year-by-year basis, and those close to him do not expect him to walk away before he has to. Renewals remain possible for as long as he feels mentally and physically up for it.
A franchise of his own, however, is not part of the plan — the stake in Inter Miami will be the American anchor of his ownership portfolio.
Newell's Old Boys is definitively off the table
For fans in Rosario who dream of a homecoming, the news is final. Messi has definitively ruled out any return to his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys — whether as a player or as an executive.
The idea has never even been formally discussed, and nobody close to the player expects it. Everything in Messi's post-playing life is being built around Europe and Miami, with the family home waiting in Castelldefels, close to the sea and to Barcelona.
Newell's will stay close to him in a different way: the club is one of 16 academies at this year's Messi Cup.
Eldense: the centrepiece of his club network
Spain is where Messi's ownership project is taking its most concrete shape. CD Eldense announced him as its new owner on 1 October, subject to authorisation from Spain's sports council, the CSD. The immediate target is survival in the second division, with former Villarreal boss Javi Calleja appointed to lead the fight against relegation.
Messi is already an involved owner: he follows every Eldense match closely, and after the club beat Real Oviedo 4-1 his first message as owner was an Instagram post reading "Aupa Deportivo". The pull of his name was immediate — around a dozen sponsors came forward within a couple of days, some of them brands that had been talking to the previous owners without ever closing a deal.
The longer-term goal is ambitious: to see whether Eldense can establish itself in La Liga. Trusted intermediaries will run the day-to-day until Messi can give the club his full attention.
Cornella and Deportivo LSM: the wider network
Eldense does not stand alone. Messi bought UE Cornella, a fifth-tier club on the edge of Barcelona, in April — a nursery for developing young players inside his structure.
In Uruguay, he and Luis Suarez founded Deportivo LSM in May 2025, and the club won promotion to the country's third tier in its first season. Talk of building a wider multi-club network has cooled for now, with the money needed to climb the divisions putting that idea on hold; Messi's focus is on making Eldense work.
Why ownership suits Messi
Asked recently whether he would rather be a coach or an owner, Messi chose owner. A coach lives and dies by every Saturday and has to worry about far too many things for his liking; an owner shapes a club's direction from a little further back. Nobody expects a passive figure, though — he wants to be involved in everything.
Youth football is the other love driving the plan. His Messi Cup tournament for under-16 academies, which began with eight teams in 2025, has doubled to 16 this year and takes place at Inter Miami's Florida facilities from 25 October, with clubs including Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Arsenal and Cornella. Last year, organisers expected him at one or two matches; he sat through every game on every day.
Beyond football, his portfolio keeps growing — Forbes put his net worth at about $1.1bn in June, with around $140m in earnings over the previous year. The picture is now clear: the Argentina chapter may be closed, but Messi's football life is only changing shape.
An empire already taking shape
Beyond the club projects, Messi's business portfolio has been expanding quietly for years. Forbes put his net worth at about $1.1bn in June, with roughly $140m in earnings over the previous year split between football and business, anchored by the lifetime Adidas deal he signed in 2017.
The most visible piece is MiM Hotels, six boutique properties stretching from Ibiza to Andorra, run by Melia under a rental agreement since November 2025. In Rosario, his family firm invests in Carrasco M, a development of 24 homes by the Parana river, with Angel Di Maria's property agency handling sales. He is also a partner in the restaurant chain El Club de la Milanesa, which plans five branches in Catalonia, and he has a mate collection with drinkware giant Stanley — the brand's first multi-year deal with an athlete.
The business side began with his father. Jorge Messi, who died in August aged 68, looked after his son's affairs from the start, and the company later grew into branches for TV production, marketing, media and commercial partnerships. Messi trusts the people who run them — some with him since his early Barcelona days — and sets his own relationship with the business world. As he told the America Business Forum in Miami last November: "Business is something that interests me. I would like to keep learning because I know nothing and I am just starting out."
Questions people ask
Will Messi become a football coach after retiring?
No. BBC Sport reports Messi has decided to become a football club owner after his playing career and has completely ruled out moving into coaching, which he sees as too all-consuming.
Is Messi buying a stake in Inter Miami?
Yes, that is the plan. BBC Sport reports Messi intends to acquire a substantial stake in Inter Miami and join the club's ownership group when he hangs up his boots; his original contract included a clause for minority co-ownership on favourable terms.
Will Messi return to Newell's Old Boys?
No. Messi has definitively ruled out returning to his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys as a player or an executive, and the idea has never been formally discussed.
Which clubs does Messi own?
CD Eldense in Spain's second division (announced as owner on 1 October, subject to CSD authorisation), UE Cornella in Spain's fifth tier, and Deportivo LSM in Uruguay, which he founded with Luis Suarez.
When does Messi's Inter Miami contract end?
His Inter Miami playing deal runs to the end of the 2028 MLS season and is reviewed year by year. Those close to him expect him to keep playing for as long as he feels mentally and physically able.
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