Rafael Nadal to Join Real Madrid Board of Directors

Rafael Nadal will become a member of Real Madrid’s board of directors, with the appointment scheduled for ratification at the club’s members’ assembly on Nov. 21, elmundo.es reported.

The move comes six months after Florentino Pérez won re-election with 65% of the vote against challenger Enrique Riquelme, and as the football team sits three points behind the La Liga leader following seven consecutive victories, including a win over Barcelona in El Clásico, with a top-eight finish in the Champions League assured. Sources within the club told elmundo.es that “finally the right moment has been found” for Nadal’s arrival.

A Response to the Election Divide

The recent presidential election exposed a split among Madrid supporters over Pérez’s proposal to sell 5% of the club’s football business to financial investors through a club-owned subsidiary. Riquelme campaigned against the sale, and since the vote the idea has disappeared from the club’s focus. At the Nov. 21 assembly, Pérez will not bring the 5% debate forward; instead, he will present Nadal’s board seat for ratification, a move sources described as a media strike at the club’s institutional table.

Riquelme signaled his backing in a social media post, writing, “Contigo el Madrid gana y como hemos comentado en varias ocasiones, siempre, primero el Madrid. Seguro que tú nos ayudas a evitar la venta del club.” The two men maintain a good relationship: Riquelme’s company, Cox, sponsors the Rafa Nadal Academy team in the Hexagon Cup padel tournament and Team Rafa in the UIM E1 Series electric boat championship. During the campaign, speculation linked Nadal to Riquelme’s candidacy because of those sponsorships, but Nadal denied it, saying, “Tenía lógica porque es el patrocinador del equipo de pádel y del equipo que tengo en E1 Series, pero, aunque tengo una buena relación con él, también tengo un grandísimo respeto por Florentino.”

Symbolic Start, Long-Term Stakes

In 2023, Nadal said, “Creo que sí me gustaría ser presidente del Madrid.”

Under the club’s statutes, a presidential candidate must have been a member for 20 years — a requirement Nadal will meet in 2031 — and present a bank guarantee covering at least 15% of the club’s general expense budget, backed exclusively by the personal assets of the board members. Pérez’s current mandate ends in 2030, meaning the succession conversation now formally includes Nadal as a potential candidate.

Nadal said he arrives with “mucha ilusión, ganas de aprender y aportar todo lo que pueda”. Club sources insisted the move “era deseado por las dos partes,” with José Ángel Sánchez among the strongest advocates for bringing Nadal into the organization six months after the election.

The Nov. 21 Assembly

The next confirmed event is the general assembly on Nov. 21, 2026, where members will ratify Nadal’s seat on the Junta Directiva and the club will leave the 5% sale proposal off the agenda for now.

Questions Readers Are Asking

When does Nadal officially join the board? Members will ratify his appointment at the general assembly on Nov. 21, 2026.

What are the requirements for Nadal to become president? He must have 20 years of club membership, which he will reach in 2031, and any candidacy must include a bank guarantee of at least 15% of the club’s budget backed by personal assets.

Why did rumors link Nadal to Riquelme? Riquelme’s company Cox sponsors Nadal’s padel team in the Hexagon Cup and his electric boat team in the UIM E1 Series, though Nadal denied rumors of joining Riquelme’s candidacy.

More on this story: Enrique Riquelme Congratulates Nadal on Board Candidacy

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