Nadal Denies Real Madrid Presidency Reports

Rafael Nadal has dismissed reports linking him with a bid for Real Madrid’s presidency after Florentino Perez called for an election for the position.

Madrid president Perez, 79, announced on Tuesday in a wide-ranging press conference that he was calling for a fresh vote despite his active mandate at the club running until 2029.

Perez has been elected unopposed in each of Madrid’s past five elections, held in 2009, 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025.

“I have read reports that link me to possibly being a candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid,” Nadal wrote on social media. “I would like to clarify that these reports are not true.”

A report in Barcelona-based media outlet La Vanguardia on Wednesday claimed that Enrique Riquelme, the chief executive of renewable energy company Cox Energy, was considering a joint run for the presidency alongside David Mesonero, an executive at Iberdrola — another Spanish renewable energy company.

The report claimed that Nadal had been approached as part of that proposal.

At his extraordinary press conference on Tuesday, Perez said he was happy to take on anybody who wanted to challenge him for the presidency. He called on those “in the shadows” to come forward and do so.

He did not name anyone, but it was widely believed he was referring to Riquelme when mentioning a person “with a Mexican accent” who “talks with electricity companies” and was behind “a very organised campaign”.

In 2023, when asked if he wanted to become Real Madrid president, Nadal replied: “Do you know what the thing is? I can answer you… it’s just I don’t know. I don’t have it (in my dreams), I promise you not.

In 2017, Nadal said of the possibility of him becoming Madrid supremo: “Everyone knows I’m a football fanatic and Real Madrid is my team. Speaking about that now is a utopia, but if you ask me, of course I would like to be president.”