Leo Messi acquires abandoned Via Wagner galleries in Barcelona for €11.5 million. Leo Messi, through his SOCIMI, has purchased the Via Wagner building in the Turó Park district. The property stood vacant for decades and will now be fully renovated. The deal is valued at €11.5 million.
A major real estate deal has been completed in Barcelona: Leo Messi, currently playing for Inter de Miami, through his investment company Edificio Rostower, has acquired the former Via Wagner gallery building in the prestigious Turó Park area. The deal is valued at €11.5 million, according to La Vanguardia. The property, once conceived as a luxury center, had been abandoned and unused for many years.
The purchase was made through a socimi—a specialized company created for investing in urban real estate with the intent of renting out the assets. Such structures benefit from special tax conditions: they are exempt from corporate tax but must be listed on the stock exchange. Edificio Rostower's portfolio already includes a six-story building on Urgell street near Hospital Clínic, as well as the MiM Hotels chain and Hincha restaurants, which are managed by Michelin-starred chef Nandu Jubany.
Renovation and plans
The Via Wagner building previously belonged to Santomera Bay, a company linked to entrepreneur Alejandro Alcaraz. The galleries had been closed since 1993 due to a complex ownership structure: the building housed 87 units with different owners and interests. According to Santomera Bay, the new deal involves a full renovation of the 4,000 sq. m property, after which the spaces will be put on the rental market.
Context and trends
The purchase of Via Wagner was Messi's second significant investment in Catalonia over the past month: earlier, he acquired the football club UE Cornellà. The athlete's activity in Barcelona's real estate market reflects a growing interest in restoring and commercializing abandoned urban assets. Similar processes are observed in other regions of Spain, where investors are bringing back to life buildings with a complex history.
Against this backdrop, the fierce struggle for survival among the country’s football clubs continues: recently, Real Oviedo officially left the top division after a draw with Girona, a significant event for the region’s sporting community — details on the situation in Oviedo.
Reference
MiM Hotels, part of Messi's socimi structure, includes hotels in Sitges, Ibiza, Mallorca, Baqueira, Sotogrande, and Andorra. All sites are managed by Meliá Hotels International. The Hincha restaurants are run by Nandu Jubany, whose main restaurant in Caldetenes is Michelin-starred.
