Rafael Nadal has denied reports linking him to a possible bid for the Real Madrid presidency, saying the speculation was not true, the report says.
The report says Nadal posted on social media to reject the claims and later clarified that he had moved to stop conjecture after being associated with fellow member Enrique Riquelme. Nadal stressed his respect for current president Florentino Pérez and said he did not want to fuel talk about a role he is not involved in, per the report.
According to the report, Nadal described football as a different world from his own and said he was not focused on pursuing the presidency at the moment. The report says he noted his passion for the sport and that he is a Real Madrid member as well as a Mallorca supporter. The report also recalls comments Nadal made in a 2023 interview in which he said he thought he might like to be president but acknowledged uncertainty over qualifications and timing.
The report says Pérez, in a dramatic news conference, criticised what he called a smear campaign and called for a fresh election despite having been re-elected unopposed in January 2025. The report quotes Pérez as saying he wants to win everything and noting the club’s haul of titles under his leadership; he invited anyone wishing to stand to do so, saying he would defend the interests of the members.
Per the report, any candidate must meet strict criteria including 20 years of membership, Spanish nationality and the ability to personally guarantee 15% of the club’s annual budget. The report says Nadal meets the first two requirements and that his career prize money was $135 million, with his playing career ending in 2024. The report also cites Deloitte figures that place Real Madrid’s 2024-25 budget at €1.161 billion. The report adds that Riquelme said he would decide in the coming days whether to run and notes the club’s troubled season, including a defeat to Barcelona that confirmed the LaLiga title and a training altercation involving Federico Valverde and Aurélien T, per the report.
