With Messi taking control of Cornella, he joined Ronaldo in Spanish football as club owners in competing roles. (Image via Getty)
For the first time since leaving Spain, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have found their way back into Spanish football, not as players but as club owners, placing themselves on different rungs of the same league ladder and opening up the possibility of their paths crossing again once their playing careers are over. Right now, it’s difficult for them to be apart on the pitch. Messi plays in the Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, while Ronaldo plays in the Saudi Professional League with Al-Nasr, both in the final stage of their careers that were running side by side in the Spanish League. This distance is exactly why these moves are attracting attention, as it quietly returns them to the same footballing structure where this rivalry was built in the first place.
Messi is in complete control of Cornella in Catalonia
It comes as Messi has taken full ownership of Cornella, a fifth-tier club located near Barcelona, buying a 100 per cent stake and returning to the region that defined his career. The club confirmed the deal by saying that “eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Leo Messi has formalized the takeover of the club” and set 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 will be guided by a “long-term vision… with a strong connection to its local roots”.
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Cornella play in League Three and operate on a smaller scale, with a capacity of 1,500 spectators, 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 and is under contract until 2028, but this move gives him a direct role in Spanish football outside of his playing career.
Ronaldo invests in Almeria as promotional push continues
Ronaldo’s move comes at a higher level. In February, Cristiano Ronaldo acquired a 25% stake in Almería through his company CR7 Sports Investments, entering a club already competing near the top of Serie B.
“I have long had an ambition to contribute to football off the field,” he said at the time.
Almeria currently occupies the top three positions and remains in the promotion race, two points behind leaders Racing Santander after 27 matches. Having been relegated from La Liga in 2024, they are pushing for a quick return to the top flight.
Separate partitions now, but within the same system again
There is a clear gap between the two clubs at the moment. The Cornella club is in the fifth division and is working to advance, while the Almeria club is close to returning to the Spanish League, and this gap may widen if promotion is secured this season.However, both are now within the same promotion and relegation structure in Spanish football, where movement between divisions is constant, which keeps the possibility open, even if it is a few years away and not directly in front of them. Messi’s involvement is linked to a long-term build at a lower level, while Ronaldo’s involvement is linked to a team already positioned near the top.
From classics to royalty, the connection remains
Messi and Ronaldo are still active players, but both have now taken steps beyond their time on the pitch.
For fans who followed their rivalry in Spain, the idea of linking them again, even in this different way, holds special interest. They no longer face each other every week, and their careers have taken them in different directions, but through these moves, they have both returned to the same football landscape where this rivalry once played out, this time with their names attached to clubs rather than teams built around them.
