Meet Enrique Riquelme – The businessman who may rival Florentino Perez in Real Madrid presidential election

Meet Enrique Riquelme – The businessman who may rival Florentino Perez in Real Madrid presidential election

“A businessman in the energy sector with a South American accent who seems to want to run for election.”

These were the words of Florentino Perez in his explosive media briefing last night when asked about possible competitors for the presidency of the club in the election that was announced last night.

For a long time, Perez has been unopposed as the president of the club, especially given how the team have dominated the sport under his tenure.

Now, for the first time, however, doubts are creeping in about his ability to continue leading the project.

The competitor with an accent

As reported by Onda Cero, the candidate with a ‘Mexican accent’ that Perez was referring to was none other than Enrique Riquelme, a businessman from Alicante who has seen himself as a competitor to Perez for a long time.

Riquelme is the CEO of Cox Group, a company that is focused on water and energy, which has even been listed on the Spanish stock market.

He first arrived on the scene at Real Madrid’s presidential talks when he considered competing against Perez in 2021. While he did present himself with the will to propose his candidacy, he eventually did not stand.

The Spanish outlet, however, reports that he ticks all the boxes necessary to be the next presidential candidate, including being Spanish, of legal age, aware of social obligations and not having positions in any other club.

Most importantly, he has the bank guarantee corresponding to 15% of the club’s budget.

There is thus a good chance that Perez will have a rival in the upcoming elections, and against a formidable candidate who seeks to modernise the club and bring reforms.