Lionel Messi's Soccer Portfolio: Every Club the Argentina Legend Owns
Lionel Messi has cultivated a sporting legacy unlike any other. To the majority of the soccer world, he's the greatest player who has ever lived, seemingly immune to Father Time and still capable of hanging with the very best at the age of 39.
World Cup glory in Qatar saw Messi, in the words of English commentator Peter Drury, "conquer his final peak", ensuring his glittering career wouldn't end with a nagging sense of cruel unfulfillment. His work in North America this summer merely enhanced his standing, even if a flawed, chaotic Argentine outfit came up just short and Kylian Mbappé harshly snatched the Golden Boot away from his grasp.
Now, a soccer-crazed nation is preparing for a state of consternation. Nevertheless, the 39-year-old has no intention of riding off into the sunset and leaving soccer behind.
He's setting himself up for a life that continues to revolve around his first love, tying soccer in with a developing business interest. "I would like to keep learning [about business] because I know nothing, and I am just starting out," Messi told the America Business Forum last year.
Messi's going down the club ownership route, and he's already got his fingers in a few pies. Deportivo LSM Deportivo LSM was launched by Luis Suárez in 2025.
Together, they established a new club, Deportivo LSM, in Uruguay, Suárez's homeland. It's Suárez's initiative, with the center forward's project starting out with the funding for a 20-acre sports complex built in 2018.
It is home to a synthetic turf stadium that boasts a capacity of 1,400. "I'm proud and happy that you chose me, so I hope to contribute everything I can to continue growing and, above all, to be by your side in this," Messi said to Suárez after his involvement in the project came to light.
The newly established club is located in Ciudad de la Costa, the second-most populous city in Uruguay, and they're now competing in the third tier of Uruguayan soccer after earning promotion in year one. However, the owners have already cut ties with inaugural manager Rafael Cánovas after a disappointing start to the new season.
Former Nacional striker Álvaro Apólito was sworn in as his successor at the end of September. UE Cornellà Cornellà is one of Catalonia's most historic clubs.