Enrique Riquelme Teases New Manager, Two Signings As Real Madrid Set Election Date

José Mourinho’s return has been thrown into doubt by the candidate’s claims.

Enrique Riquelme will challenge Florentino Pérez for the Real Madrid presidency. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images

Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme has hinted that he plans to go in a different direction to Florentino Pérez, throwing José Mourinho’s expected return into serious doubt.

With Álvaro Arbeloa leaving his role as first-team manager at the end of this season, Mourinho had been expected to take over the position he previously held between 2010 and 2013.

The 63-year-old is reported to have been in talks with incumbent president Pérez, with a two-year deal just a signature away from being completed.

However, imminent presidential elections—called out of the blue and ahead of schedule by Pérez this month—mean any announcement on the club’s next manager will have to be delayed until after polling.

Real Madrid have now officially announced that the vote of their 100,000 members will take place on Sunday, June 7—between 9AM and 8PM CET.

It is expected that should Pérez—who has not faced a challenger in any year since his return to the Madrid presidency in 2009—triumph, he will immediately appoint Mourinho as manager.

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Riquelme Wants New Blood for Madrid

José Mourinho has been seen as a shoo-in to return to Madrid. | Valter Gouveia/NurPhoto/Getty Images

However, should Riquelme seal a surprise victory it seems probable that he would go in a different direction.

Speaking to The Athletic, the 37-year-old green energy magnate declined to comment specifically on Mourinho as an option. However, when asked whether his preferred candidate had ever worked at Real Madrid before, Riquelme replied: “No.”

He continued: “Real Madrid cannot continue operating with short-term thinking. This is a moment for a genuine change of cycle. Of course, everything that has been achieved so far deserves recognition, but our proposal is about building a project for the short, medium and long term under a different model of professionalisation and modernisation.”

One name that has regularly been linked with Real Madrid in recent months is Jürgen Klopp. The Champions League-winning former Liverpool manager turned head of soccer at Red Bull has not taken on a dugout role since leaving Anfield in 2024.

When pressed about the German—who is jokingly referenced in one of Riquelme’s campaign videos—Riquelme said: “We are looking at profiles among the very best coaches in world football—people with the level of experience and leadership required to manage a club like Real Madrid. Naturally, I would love for profiles of that caliber, and others like them, to coach this club.

“I cannot say whether [Klopp] is or is not [an option] at this stage. The sporting professionals currently working within the project are handling those discussions, and I cannot share more than that right now. We will see in the coming days.”

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New Manager and Signings Finalized

Enrique Riquelme has made big promises already. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images

Interestingly, in a separate interview with COPE, Riquelme claimed that he already has a deal in place with a prospective manager.

"We finalized the coaching deal before announcing my candidacy," he said, teasing that the coach “is under contract with a team.”

In the same interview, he also promised to sign a player from Spain’s national team.

“If I’m president, there will be a Real Madrid player who has played in the World Cup for Spain,” he said. “No Real Madrid player will play at the World Cup for Spain, and I, as a Madridista, am devastated. It hurts me. Who will the children of Madridistas, or the Madridistas themselves, or the club members support? What jersey will they wear to the World Cup? Lamine Yamal’s. I mean, I really hope we can solve that if I’m president.”

Speaking to The Athletic, meanwhile, he claimed that “two signings are already finalized, and several others are being worked on.” However, he did not elaborate on which players he was referring to specifically.

Madrid, infamously, will have no representatives in Spain’s World Cup roster this year for the first team in history. Previously, the club has been heavily linked with the likes of Rodri, while Osasuna winger Víctor Muñoz can be re-signed through a buyback clause.

In multiple recent interviews, Riquelme has also stressed Real Madrid’s need for a sporting director, as well as a shakeup to the club’s sporting hierarchy.

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