Last month, UE Cornellà's under-16 side beat Manchester City, Inter Milan and Arsenal to reach the final of the Messi Cup in Miami, eventually losing to Newell's Old Boys, Lionel Messi's boyhood club. At the same time, Cornellà's senior team, playing in Spain's fifth tier, were held to a 1-1 draw by FE Grama back in a drizzly Barcelona, with Marc Esteban scoring the equaliser in the second half.
The contrast sums up where things stand several months after Messi's April takeover of the tiny club, located in the shadow of neighbouring LaLiga side Espanyol in Cornellà de Llobregat, on the southern outskirts of Barcelona where Messi spent 20 years of his life.
The takeover prompted talk of Cornellà 'doing a Wrexham,' a reference to the Welsh club's rise through the English pyramid under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. A source at the Catalan club told ESPN the comparison is understandable given the presence of a world-famous figure in both cases, but added that "they are very different projects, contexts and models. Each club has its own project."
A Surprise Even Inside the Club
Cornellà coach Ignasi Senabre said he initially thought the announcement was a hoax. "I found out via the press," he told ESPN. "All of a sudden everyone was talking about it, but before then it hadn't come out anywhere. I thought it was AI at first." Senabre and his players were later shown a five-minute introduction video sent by Messi, which a source says reflects how involved he has been from the start.
As recently as 2024, Cornellà were playing in Spain's third tier, and in 2021 they faced Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, losing after extra time. The club is now in its second season in the fifth tier following back-to-back relegations. Senabre said he could not explain why Messi chose Cornellà, but called it "a source of great pride for us that the best player ever has laid his eyes on Cornellà."
Visible Changes Off the Pitch
The club's social media following has grown from around 35,000 to over one million across all platforms, making Cornellà the 12th-most followed Spanish club on Instagram, ahead of Espanyol. New sponsors including Adidas and MyInvestor have arrived, and the club's green jerseys, including shirts with 'Messi 10' on the back, can now be bought online for the first time in the club's history.
Messi has also overseen the creation of a new reserve team to bridge the gap between the first team and the academy, as well as the founding of a women's side. The women's team started at the bottom of the football pyramid this season but has been promised the same resources as the men's team. Team captain Amara Forcada told Her Goal that "Messi entering women's football is a success of the work that is being done. It shows that women's football is a reality."
Discussions remain ongoing over organisational changes at the top level of the club, with Guillermo Hoyos, Inter Miami's interim coach earlier this year, among the advisors involved behind the scenes.
First Team Still Waiting on the 'Messi Effect'
On the pitch, Cornellà have won just two of their first 10 league fixtures this season, leaving them closer to the relegation zone than promotion. Attendance for the Grama draw was under 1,000 in a stadium with a single stand holding around 700 people, and visible signs of Messi's involvement were limited to Argentine empanadas sold at the concourse kiosk and a handful of spectators in Messi or Inter Miami shirts.
Senabre insisted resources have improved. "We have a much better squad since Messi's takeover," he said. "We have more resources, the day-to-day is better and everything is easier. We have noticed the changes in a positive way. The aim is clear: to get promoted. We have the squad to do it, we have the resources and, therefore, we have everything we need to achieve that goal."
Senabre said he was not familiar with the Wrexham story but hopes Cornellà can have a similar fairytale. "There are no limits," he said. "Let others put limits, but we won't and we will see where it takes us."
The Eldense Complication
Any progress for Cornellà could be limited by Messi's parallel involvement with Eldense, a second-division club in the Valencian Community that also announced Messi as its new owner last month. The arrangement remains subject to the Spanish National Sports Council definitively ratifying the structure that would allow Messi to hold stakes in both clubs. If ratified, under Article 37 of the Spanish Football Federation's regulations, the two clubs would not be able to compete in the same competition. Sources have played down any conflict of interest, pointing out that three divisions currently separate the two teams.
The Academy's Growing Reputation
While the first team has slipped into the fifth tier, Cornellà's academy has remained a strong asset. Alumni including Jordi Alba, David Raya, Gerard Martín, Javi Puado and Aitor Ruibal are honoured in murals and photographs around the stadium, and the academy's reach extends to the United States, with Adrian Gill and Pedro Soma, now at Atlanta United and San Diego FC respectively, having come through the system.
Senabre called Cornellà "a leading club in Catalonia when it comes to the youth academy -- just behind Barça, Espanyol and now Girona." Agent Toni Juanmartí of E.F.M. International placed Cornellà's academy alongside CF Damm's as the best in the region outside the traditional big three, noting that unlike Damm, Cornellà also fields a men's team, giving it more control over player development.
"Cornellà's academy has a very good reputation," Juanmartí told ESPN. "They are a stepping stone before players join professional clubs. A lot of players have cut their cloth there. It's an important institution in Catalan football. They are very serious about protecting their talent. They want to maintain a personal relationship with families but also ensure that, if a player goes on to have a career in the game, the club benefits financially. If another club wants a player, Cornellà want to receive what they believe that player is worth. They have always tried to negotiate percentages of future transfers. If a player moves to a professional club and subsequently does well, Cornellà can benefit from that."
FIFA rules also provide training compensation and solidarity contributions to clubs that developed players who later turn professional or move abroad, meaning a player who leaves as a teenager can continue generating income for Cornellà years later. Jordi Alba's 2012 move from Valencia to Barcelona reportedly earned Cornellà €1.4 million ($1.57m), while Gerard Martín's 2023 transfer to Barcelona was worth around €100,000 ($112,000). Figures published by Palco23 indicate Cornellà generated €540,000 ($605,000) in transfer-related income during the 2024-25 season, a significant sum given the club's total revenue is not much higher than €1 million ($1.12m).
- Cornellà's under-16 side beat Manchester City, Inter Milan and Arsenal to reach the Messi Cup final in Miami, losing to Newell's Old Boys.
- The senior team drew 1-1 with FE Grama in Spain's fifth tier, having won just two of their first 10 league games.
- Messi also owns Eldense, a second-division club, with regulatory approval still pending for him to hold stakes in both clubs.
