When Lionel Messi bought UE Cornellà on 16 April 2026, the impact was immediate and unmistakable. A club that had long lived in the shadows suddenly found itself at the centre of the footballing conversation. Membership surged, social media exploded, and Cornellà’s matches began drawing more eyes than ever before — all thanks to the arrival Barça’s most iconic No 10.
But Messi wanted more. Determined to leave a legacy that extended beyond the men’s game, he moved quickly to set his first major project in motion: the creation of a fully professional women’s team — a move that, as The Rise of Women’s Football confirms, is now officially in progress.
Messi’s vision is transformative. Although Cornellà has fielded a women’s team through its Fundació UE Cornellà for the past two seasons — the non‑profit arm responsible for youth development and social‑integration programmes — he intends to start new, building a team from scratch and fully integrating it into the club’s professional structure. The plan is bold: UE Cornellà Femení will begin life in the Segunda Catalana, the lowest tier of Spanish women’s football, meaning seven promotions would be required to reach the top flight, Liga F.
Preparations have already begun. The club is scouting and recruiting talent with the aim of launching the new women’s side next season. It promises to be a lively summer, with Messi — now deeply involved in daily operations through regular remote meetings — directing significant investment into facilities, staff and the squad itself. The project forms part of a wider vision for Cornellà’s growth, which also includes long‑term plans to expand the stadium to 8,000 seats.
Messi’s arrival has already transformed the club’s media profile. And while this project is still in its early stages, it is being welcomed within Spanish women’s football as a genuinely positive development — not least because someone of Messi’s stature has chosen to invest his time, resources and influence in the women’s game. In a landscape where backing from major figures remains limited, his involvement is seen as a meaningful step forward.
Text: Irati Vidal (Barcelona)
