Enrique Riquelme, a candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid, announced on Monday that he would appoint club legend Raúl as sporting director if he triumphs over incumbent Florentino Pérez in this weekend’s elections.
Riquelme, a 37-year-old entrepreneur in the renewable energy sector, is contesting against the 79-year-old Pérez, who has held the presidency since 2000—with a brief three-year gap from 2006 to 2009—and has been elected unopposed in the last five election cycles.
Real Madrid has experienced two trophy-less seasons, with coaches Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa failing to achieve success during the 2025-26 season.
The club currently lacks a formal sporting director, with key decisions being made by Pérez, director general José Ángel Sánchez, and chief scout Juni Calafat.
“It has to be a legend,” Riquelme stated during an interview with Cadena SER when discussing his choice for sporting director. “Someone who played for Real Madrid for 16 seasons and scored over 300 goals, an international over 100 times… I believe no one knows Real Madrid better than him. He is the right person to lead a sporting project. If I become Real Madrid president, Raúl González Blanco will be my sporting director.”
Raúl played for Madrid from 1994 to 2010 and ranks as the club’s third-highest scorer. He served as the head coach of the reserve team, Castilla, from 2019 until his replacement by Arbeloa in 2025.
Riquelme has not yet revealed who he would appoint as coach if elected, although ESPN reports that José Mourinho has already secured a two-year deal to return to the club.
“There are still days left in the campaign, and I plan to announce names every day,” Riquelme said. “I’ll name my coach later.”
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Regarding Mikel Arteta, Riquelme praised the Arsenal coach, stating, “He’s an excellent coach who has had a great season, but there are other candidates as well.”
Riquelme expressed some reservations about Mourinho, acknowledging the former Madrid manager as “a great coach,” but added, “I think there were times he didn’t represent Real Madrid well. As a Madrid fan and member, I felt uncomfortable.”