Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme pledged to appoint Jürgen Klopp as the club’s new coach if he is elected on Sunday.
Riquelme, who will go up against current incumbent Florentino Pérez in this weekend’s vote, said in a statement Friday that he believes he can tempt Klopp back into management.
If he prevails on Sunday, he says his chosen sporting director — former Madrid striker Raúl González — will reach out to the former Liverpool boss, who has not coached since leaving Anfield in 2024, the next day.
“We know that Jürgen Klopp has publicly stated he has no intention of returning to the dugout in the short term, and that he has turned down numerous offers,” Riquelme said in a statement.
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“That is precisely why we believe the challenge of Real Madrid is different. Because there are great clubs, but there is only one Real Madrid. There is only one institution capable of uniting tradition and future, values and ambition, passion and excellence
“For that reason, if the members grant me their trust this Sunday, on Monday Raúl will contact Jürgen Klopp to convey to him personally our sporting project and our wish for him to be the one to lead, from the bench, a new era for Real Madrid.
“We are speaking of one of the finest coaches of our time. But, above all, we are speaking of a leader capable of restoring to Real Madrid the competitive intensity, the daily demands, the professionalism, the meritocracy, the dressing-room unity and the pride in a job well done that have always characterised the great eras of our history.”
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Klopp’s agent Marc Kosicke responded to Riquelme’ statement denying that there is any option for him to become Madrid’s next coach.
“It’s annoying! Jürgen Klopp is happy in his role at Red Bull and has no ambitions to work as a coach at a club,” Kosicke said to Sky Sports Germany.
Riquelme’s pledge comes at the end of a week in which both he and Pérez have tried to sway Madrid’s members to vote for them on Sunday by making big promises.
He has previously announced Raúl as sporting director, an advisory role for former Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque and brought the wrath of Manchester City by suggesting he will sign midfielder Rodri and striker Erling Haaland.
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The links to Haaland particularly irked the Premier League club, who said they were considering legal action against Riquelme for the use of the Norway international’s image.
Pérez, meanwhile, has confirmed Jose Mourinho will become the club’s new coach if he is re-elected, with Benfica saying Madrid must pay the Portuguese coach’s €15 million release clause in that scenario.
He has also lined up deals for Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries, while guaranteeing he will offer €150m for one of the game’s biggest stars on Tuesday if he stays on, although he did not reveal who.
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In a vote on Sunday, Madrid’s members will choose between Riquelme and Pérez in what is the club’s first contested election in 20 years.
It comes after the team completed two consecutive seasons without winning a major trophy under Pérez, 79, who has led the club for 23 of the last 26 years.
Renewable energy entrepreneur Riquelme, 37, emerged as Pérez’s only rival last month when he hastily announced elections after what he called a smear campaign against him and Real Madrid by a section of Spanish media.
