Enrique Riquelme
Spanish businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Enrique Riquelme (born 9 January 1989) is a Spanish businessman. He is the founder of COX Energy, a company in the renewable energy field. In 2026, he announced his candidacy for the Real Madrid Presidential Elections against current president Florentino Pérez.[1][2] He was born in Cox, Alicante.
Real Madrid presidential candidacy
Riquelme announced his candidacy to run for President of Real Madrid on 21 May 2026[3] following current president Florentino Pérez's call for new board of directors elections. This was following a trophy-less season which saw the departure of manager Xabi Alonso midway through January and the appointment of Real Madrid Castilla manager Álvaro Arbeloa.[4] This is the first contested Real Madrid presidential election since 2006 with incumbent president Pérez being unopposed in the last five electoral cycles.[5][6]
During a television appearance on 3 June 2026, Riquelme presented a Real Madrid jersey which beared the last name of Erling Haaland on the back with Riquelme claiming that the Norwegian striker would join the club if he were elected president.[7] Riquelme further claimed that Haaland expressed desire to play for Real Madrid and had a release clause available despite his current contract tying him with Manchester City through 2034.[8] Both Haaland's father Alfie and his agent Rafaela Pimenta have denied the claims alongside Manchester City who expressed consideration for legal action.[9]
