Rafael Nadal dismisses reports linking him to Real Madrid presidency as 'not true'

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MadisonMiami (FL)MichiganNorth TexasNotre DameOhio StateOklahomaOle MissOregonTexas A&MTexasTexas TechTulaneUSCUtahVanderbiltVirginiaNCAAMHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsTransfer Portal RankingsNBA DraftBracketAlabamaArizonaArkansasDukeFloridaGonzagaHoustonIllinoisIowaIowa StateKansasLouisvilleMiami (FL)Michigan StateMichiganNebraskaPurdueSt. John'sTennesseeTexasTexas TechUConnVanderbiltVirginiaWisconsinPeakMMAHomeMotorsportsHomePodcastsNASCARCultureHomeMemorabilia & CollectiblesGamingHomeSports BettingHomeFantasy FootballOddsNFL PicksMan City vs. Crystal Palace UpdatesMan Utd Executives Back CarrickCarlo Ancelotti ExclusiveArsenal's Nine-Defining DaysPredictions: Man City vs. PalaceRafael Nadal dismisses reports linking him to Real Madrid presidency as ‘not true’Nadal has previously addressed the possibility of him running as Madrid club president Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images for Laureus Share articleRafael Nadal has dismissed reports linking him with a bid for Real Madrid’s presidency after Florentino Perez called for an election for the position. Madrid president Perez, 79, announced on Tuesday in a wide-ranging press conference that he was calling for a fresh vote despite his active mandate at the club running until 2029. Perez has been elected unopposed in each of Madrid’s past five elections, held in 2009, 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025. “I have read reports that link me to possibly being a candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid,” Nadal wrote on social media. “I would like to clarify that these reports are not true.” He leído informaciones que me relacionan con posibles candidaturas a la presidencia del Real Madrid. Me gustaría aclarar que estas informaciones no son ciertas. — Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) May 13, 2026 A report in Barcelona-based media outlet La Vanguardia on Wednesday claimed that Enrique Riquelme, the chief executive of renewable energy company Cox Energy, was considering a joint run for the presidency alongside David Mesonero, an executive at Iberdrola — another Spanish renewable energy company. The report claimed that Nadal had been approached as part of that proposal. Sources briefed on the situation, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly, denied that talks had taken place with the former tennis star. At his extraordinary press conference on Tuesday, Perez said he was happy to take on anybody who wanted to challenge him for the presidency. He called on those “in the shadows” to come forward and do so. He did not name anyone, but it was widely believed he was referring to Riquelme when mentioning a person “with a Mexican accent” who “talks with electricity companies” and was behind “a very organised campaign”. “I don’t think so, but maybe — you never know in the future, you never know, and we need to wait for that,” Nadal told The Athletic in November of the possibility of him one day become Madrid president. That appeared to be a climbdown from his previous comments that he would be interested in succeeding Perez in the role. In 2023, when asked if he wanted to become Real Madrid president, Nadal replied: “Do you know what the thing is? I can answer you… it’s just I don’t know. I don’t have it (in my dreams), I promise you not. “Now, if I would like to (be president)? I think so. I think I would like to be it. But first of all, lots of things. First of all, today there is nothing to say because we have the best president possible. Afterwards, I don’t know if what I could think now is what I could think tomorrow. And afterwards, life takes many turns. “One has to know if one is capable to do those types of things. I’m pretty realistic with myself, I know more or less my limitations and in that (being president), I don’t know whether I’d be capable or I wouldn’t be capable. But time will tell.” Six years previously, in 2017, Nadal said of the possibility of him become Madrid supremo: “Everyone knows I’m a football fanatic and Real Madrid is my team. Speaking about that now is a utopia, but if you ask me, of course I would like to be president.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms