BARCELONA -- Last month, a club owned by Lionel Messi beat Manchester City, Inter Milan and Arsenal to reach the final of a prestigious cup competition. This did not happen in a game of Football Manager, or EA FC. It actually happened. UE Cornellà, the tiny team from Spain's fifth tier, went up against the best in the world and beat them.
The twist is that it was not the first team. At the same time as Cornellà's under-16 side were beating Arsenal in Miami in the Messi Cup, the senior side were having a much less glamorous afternoon back in a drizzly Barcelona.
A second-half strike from Marc Esteban earned a point for Ignasi Senabre's side against FE Grama in Spanish soccer's semi-professional fifth tier. But it did little to improve on what has been a disappointing season so far for the club taken over in April by former Argentina and Barcelona star Messi.
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Messi's takeover prompted talk, admittedly outside of Cornellà circles, of 'doing a Wrexham.' The term is a nod to the Welsh side's rapid rise through the English football pyramid, from non-league to within one promotion of the Premier League, under Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
"The comparison is understandable because in both cases there is a world-famous figure involved," a source at the Catalan club tells ESPN. "But they are very different projects, contexts and models. Each club has its own project."
So what does Messi want Cornellà to become? Is the ambition to take the first team up to LaLiga, or does he see greater potential in the academy and the community?
Messi's Cornellà takeover shocked everyone
Cornellà coach Senabre initially thought the announcement regarding Messi was a hoax.
"I found out via the press," Senabre tells 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."
Next thing Senabre knew, he was ushered into a meeting room at the club's modest stadium, which doubles as their training ground. The Camp Municipal de Cornellà sits literally in the shadows of neighbouring LaLiga club Espanyol's RCDE Stadium. The two grounds are separated by a 10-metre-wide walkway in Cornellà de Llobregat on the southern outskirts of Barcelona, where Messi spent 20 years of his life.
There, alongside his staff and the players, he watched a five-minute introduction video sent by Messi. The introduction, of course, was hardly necessary. Everyone knew who Messi was, but a source says it's an example of how involved he has been from the start.
It was an unexpected development for a club accustomed to operating in the shadows of Barça and Espanyol, both geographically and in footballing terms. As recently as 2024, Cornellà were playing in the third tier. In 2021, they faced Barça in the Copa del Rey, losing after extra time. But they are currently slogging their way through their second season in the depths of Spain's regionalised fifth tier following back-to-back relegations.
No one imagined the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, still an active player at MLS team Inter Miami CF, taking over. No one is quite sure why he did.
"I couldn't tell you why [Messi] has invested, but it's a source of great pride for us that the best player ever has laid his eyes on Cornellà," Senabre says.
Supporters canvassed by ESPN could not offer up an explanation, either, but they are enjoying the transformation, which has been immediate in many respects. Cornellà's social media following has grown from around 35,000 to over one million across all platforms. They are now, incredibly, the 12th-most followed Spanish club on Instagram, where they have more followers than Espanyol.
The takeover has brought international attention and new business opportunities. Among the new sponsors are Adidas and MyInvestor, bringing fresh shirt partnerships alongside other commercial deals. Their green jerseys can now, for the first time in the club's history, also be purchased online -- with 'Messi 10' on the back, if you wish.
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 founding a women's side. They started at the bottom of the football pyramid this season, but have been promised the same resources as the men's team with the goal of organically climbing the divisions.
"Messi entering women's football is a success of the work that is being done," the team's captain Amara Forcada told Her Goal. "It shows that women's football is a reality."
Discussions remain ongoing over organisational changes at the top level. Guillermo Hoyos, the interim coach at Inter Miami earlier this year, is among the advisors involved behind the scenes.
Cornellà first team still waiting to see 'Messi effect'
The effects are less visible on the pitch right now. Against Grama, the contrast between the Messi brand and the reality of fifth-tier football was striking.
Signs of Messi's involvement are limited to the Argentine empanadas available at the food kiosk on the concourse and a handful of spectators wearing Messi shirts, mainly groundhoppers in Argentina and Inter Miami colours. There is just one stand, which holds around 700 people, and fewer than 1,000 were in attendance as Cornellà laboured to a draw in a subdued atmosphere. Lower-league football is booming in Catalonia, but Cornellà's fanbase is not among the largest in the region.
However, they do have one of the biggest budgets in their division, even if that is not currently being transferred into performances. They have won just two of their first 10 league fixtures, leaving them closer to the relegation zone than promotion.
"We have a much better squad [since Messi's takeover]," Senabre says. "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 was not familiar with the Wrexham story but says he hopes Cornellà can embark on a similar fairytale.
"There are no limits," he says. "Let others put limits, but we won't and we will see where it takes us."
That is not strictly true, mind. There is an elephant in the room which could impose limits on any progress. Eldense, a second-division club located in the Valencian Community further down Spain's east coast, also announced Messi as their new owner last month.
The arrangement remains subject to the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD) 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 [RFEF] regulations, the two teams will not be able to compete in the same competition.
Sources play down the possible conflict of interest, highlighting that three divisions separate the clubs. But regardless of any spin, it will likely have direct consequences on Cornellà's ambitions.
Messi investing in Cornellà's next generation
In parallel, Cornellà's strongest asset may already be in place. While the men's team have dropped into the fifth tier, the academy has remained strong, continuing to attract attention from Europe's biggest clubs.
There are signs of the famous alumni all over the stadium. Murals, photographs and shirts worn by players such as Jordi Alba, David Raya, Gerard Martín, Javi Puado and Aitor Ruibal adorn the hallways, offices and stands. The academy's footprint extends beyond Spain, too. American players including Adrian Gill and Pedro Soma -- both now in MLS with Atlanta United and San Diego FC, respectively -- have been part of the development system.
"This is a leading club in Catalonia when it comes to the youth academy -- just behind Barça, Espanyol and now Girona," Senabre says.
Toni Juanmartí, an agent for E.F.M. International, echoed Senabre's claim, placing Cornellà's academy alongside CF Damm's as the best in the region outside the big three. The difference between Cornellà and Damm is that the latter do not have a men's team. That gives Cornellà more control over the players, making it easier to monetise the academy.
"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."
In addition to negotiations and agreements with other clubs, FIFA rules also provide training compensation and solidarity contributions to clubs that have trained players who later turn professional or are transferred. In some cases, that means a player who leaves as a teenager can continue to generate income for Cornellà years later.
Even so, it is difficult to gauge how much the academy is worth. Alba's 2012 transfer from Valencia to Barça reportedly earned Cornellà €1.4 million ($1.57m), but Martín's 2023 move to Barça was only worth around €100,000 ($112,000).
Figures published by Palco23, meanwhile, claim Cornellà generated €540,000 ($605,000) in income related to player transfers during the 2024-25 campaign. It is a significant amount when considering total revenue is not much higher than €1m ($1.12m).
A few zeros may have been added to the value of the current crop of academy players during last month's Messi Cup in Miami. The U16 team had a moment in the international spotlight competing against the best youth teams in the world.
They beat City in the group stage before overcoming Inter and Arsenal to reach the Silver Cup final. They eventually lost to Messi's boyhood club, Newell's Old Boys, but the run was a remarkable achievement for a club whose first team plays in Spain's fifth tier.
It was another glimpse into the talent coming through in the academy. It also raises the idea that, perhaps, Cornellà can become a sustainable club built around the academy, the women's team and the community without having to 'do a Wrexham' with the men's team.
