Lionel Messi’s business interests are already finding their way into his latest football investment. Just days after taking full control of Spanish club CD Eldense, the Argentina star has seen his hotel brand MiM Hotels by Meliá become the club’s new main shirt sponsor.
The agreement puts the hotel brand on the front of Eldense’s first-team shirts and creates a direct commercial link between Messi’s business portfolio and the football club he recently acquired.
MiM Hotels by Meliá is a hotel brand operated in connection with Messi, with properties across several destinations. Its new role as Eldense’s principal shirt sponsor adds a commercial layer to Messi’s involvement with the Spanish club only days after the ownership change.
Messi’s business portfolio moves closer to the club
The timing of the partnership is notable. Messi recently completed the acquisition of all shares in CD Eldense, and the sponsorship represents one of the first visible commercial moves since the change in ownership.
The arrangement also highlights how club ownership can create opportunities to connect an owner’s existing business interests with a football team’s commercial inventory. In this case, one of Messi’s hospitality brands will gain prominent visibility through Eldense while becoming part of the club’s commercial structure.
For Eldense, the partnership marks an early commercial development under Messi’s ownership. For MiM Hotels by Meliá, the agreement provides a direct association with a Spanish football club backed by one of the world’s most recognisable athletes.