Real Madrid challenger Riquelme promises Haaland and Rodri signings, puts membership fees on the line
Enrique Riquelme, the 37-year-old energy executive challenging Florentino Pérez for the Real Madrid presidency, used a prime-time TV appearance to promise the signings of Erling Haaland and Rodri, backing the pledges with a notarised guarantee to cover all member fees if he fails to deliver.
The campaign stage
Enrique Riquelme, CEO of Cox Energy and the first candidate to challenge Florentino Pérez for the Real Madrid presidency since 2004, appeared on the Spanish talk show El Hormiguero on Wednesday night. The 37-year-old used the platform to unveil the centrepiece of his electoral bid: a promise that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and midfielder Rodri will play for Real Madrid if he wins Sunday's vote. Riquelme displayed a Real Madrid shirt bearing Haaland's name and the number nine, calling it the 'big reveal' the programme had been teasing.
Haaland has a release clause and wants to join Real Madrid. If I am president, these two players will play here.
The notarised guarantee
Riquelme brought a legal document to the studio, which he signed on air. He described it as a personal notarised guarantee committing him to pay 100 percent of the membership fees for all of Real Madrid's roughly 100,000 members for the next season should he fail to deliver on his promises. The move was a direct counter to Pérez, who had visited a notary earlier on Wednesday to pledge that the club would remain fully owned by its members.
I have signed a personal notarised guarantee, in which I undertake to pay 100 per cent of the membership fees for all of Real Madrid's 100,000 members next season, should I fail to deliver.
Pérez and the Mourinho counter
Shortly after Riquelme's appearance began, Florentino Pérez's campaign released its own announcement, confirming José Mourinho as his chosen manager. When host Pablo Motos informed Riquelme of the development, the candidate appeared surprised. He said Mourinho is a good manager but does not fit the profile of his project. Riquelme stated he has another coach lined up, describing the candidate as 'super exciting' and promising to reveal the name on Friday or Saturday.
He's a good manager, but the profile for our project is of a totally different style. I don't like Mourinho for my project, I've got another manager. I can't tell you the name, but I will on Friday or Saturday.
The broader ticket
Riquelme had already announced earlier on Wednesday that former Real Madrid players Raúl González Blanco and Fernando Hierro would serve as sporting director and head of the youth academy respectively. He repeated his earlier claim, first made on Cadena Cope, that a player like Rodri would join the club. Riquelme also criticised the voting process, alleging that members had only received ballot papers for Pérez's candidacy, accusing the incumbent of using the club's infrastructure for his campaign.
What to believe
Spanish football clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Osasuna remain member-owned, with presidents elected by the socios. Candidates have historically used big-name signing promises to galvanise support, most famously when Pérez himself pledged to bring Luís Figo from Barcelona in 2000. Riquelme's Haaland claim hinges on a release clause he says exists in the Norwegian's Manchester City contract. The Athletic reported contacting both the player's representatives and City for comment. The election takes place this Sunday, marking the first contested Real Madrid presidential vote in over 20 years.
