Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme said on Monday that club legend Raúl would be his sporting director if he wins this weekend’s elections against incumbent Florentino Pérez.
Renewable energy entrepreneur Riquelme, 37, is running against Pérez, 79, who has been Madrid president since 2000 — with a three-year absence from 2006 to 2009 — and has been elected unopposed in the last five electoral cycles.
Madrid have now gone two seasons without winning a major trophy, with two coaches — Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa — unable to deliver success in 2025-26.
The club don’t currently have a formal sporting director, with Pérez, director general José Ángel Sánchez and chief scout Juni Calafat being the key decision-makers.
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“It has to be a legend,” Riquelme told Cadena SER, when asked if he’d chosen a sporting director. “Somebody who has played for Real Madrid for 16 seasons, scoring more than 300 goals, an international over 100 times… I think there’s nobody who knows Real Madrid better. He’s the right person to lead a sporting project. If I’m Real Madrid president, Raúl González Blanco will be sporting director.”
Raúl played for Madrid between 1994 and 2010, and is the third-highest scorer in the club’s history. He was coach of reserve team Castilla between 2019 and 2025, when he was replaced by Arbeloa.
Riquelme is yet to say who would be his coach if he’s elected president, while ESPN has reported that José Mourinho has already agreed a two-year deal to return to the club.
“There are still some days of campaigning left, and my idea is to keep giving names everyday,” Riquelme said. “I’ll announce my coach later.”
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Asked about Mikel Arteta, he said: “He’s a great coach, he’s had a great season with Arsenal, but there are others too.”
Riquelme was critical of Mourinho, while admitting that the former Madrid boss — who was at the Bernabéu between 2010 and 2013 — is “a great coach.”
“I think there were moments where he didn’t represent Real Madrid,” Riquelme said. “I, as a Madrid fan and member, didn’t feel comfortable.”
