For the first time since they left Spain Lionel Messi and cristiano ronaldo Both found their way back to Spanish football, not as players but as club owners, placing themselves on different rungs of the same league ladder and opening up the possibility that their paths could cross again once their careers were over. Now, they couldn’t be further apart on the pitch. Messi plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, while Ronaldo plays for Al Nasr in the Saudi Professional League. Both have entered the final stage of their careers and have played together in La Liga. That distance is why these moves are cause for concern, as they quietly bring them back into the same football structure that built the rivalry in the first place.
Messi takes full control of Catalonia’s Cornella
Messi, meanwhile, has taken full ownership of UE Cornellà, a fifth-tier club based near Barcelona, buying 100% of the shares and returning to a region that has defined his career. The club confirmed the deal, saying “eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Leo Messi has officially acquired the club” and setting out the direction of the project, describing it as “the beginning of a new chapter in the club’s history” with a focus on growth, stability and investment in talent, adding that it would be guided by a “long-term vision…strongly linked to its local roots”.Cornella plays at Tercera Federación, which is smaller with a capacity of 1,500, but they have a recognized academy with players such as David Raya and Jordi Alba coming through the system. Messi, 38, continues to play for Inter Miami under contract until 2028, but the move allows him to play a direct role in Spanish football outside of his professional career.
Ronaldo invests in Almeria, promotions continue
Ronaldo’s move reaches a higher level. In February this year, Cristiano Ronaldo acquired a 25% stake in UD Almería through his company CR7 Sports Investments, entering a club that was already at the top of Serie B. At the time, he said: “I have always had the ambition to contribute to football off the pitch.” Almeria currently sit in the top three and remain stable in the promotion race, two points behind leaders Racing Santander after 27 games. After being relegated from La Liga in 2024, they are trying to return to the top flight as soon as possible.
Now separate departments, but within the same system
There is a clear gap between the two clubs at the moment. UE Cornellà are in the fifth tier and are struggling for promotion, while UD Almería are also close to returning to La Liga and the gap could widen if promotion is secured this season.Even so, both are now in the same promotion and relegation structure of Spanish football, with movement between the different levels being constant, which is what keeps the possibility alive, even if it’s a few years away rather than right in front of them. Messi’s involvement is linked to long-term building at the lower levels, while Ronaldo’s is linked to a team already at the top.
From El Clasico to ownership, connections remain
Messi and Ronaldo are still active players, but both are now taking steps beyond their time on the pitch. For fans who follow their games in Spain, the idea of them being linked together again, even in this different way, has its own meaning. They no longer face each other every week, and their careers have taken them in different directions, but with these moves, both are returning to the football field where their rivalry once played out, this time with their names attached to the club rather than the one built around them.
