Jurgen Klopp Rumors Mount As Riquelme Announces Real Madrid Roles for Four Legends

The presidential hopeful has attached several big names to his ticket.

Enrique Riquelme is re-uniting the Galácticos. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images

Enrique Riquelme has announced Real Madrid legends Raúl González, Fernando Hierro, Iker Casillas and Vicente Del Bosque will be part of his setup should he win this weekend’s presidential election.

The 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur has put together an ambitious campaign since announcing his run for presidency at the end of last month, as he attempts to unseat Florentino Pérez.

Riquelme has made a number of bold promises, including developing a ‘Members City’ at the club’s Valdebebas training center and cutting membership fees. On the sporting side, he grabbed headlines and raised plenty of eyebrows with his pledge to sign Manchester City duo Rodri and Erling Haaland—a vow he made on prime-time Spanish television Wednesday night.

Though he has not named his managerial choice, should he win the vote on Sunday, June 7, Riquelme has announced that a number of senior roles will be filled by club greats.

---

Riquelme’s Lineup of Legends

Raúl González

Raúl will be Riquelme’s sporting director | Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images

Speaking earlier in the week, Riquelme first announced Real Madrid’s all-time record appearance maker Raúl as his would-be sporting director.

Riquelme revealed: “I already have a sporting director, and he’s Spanish. We’ve decided on the signings with him and the coach. If I win the elections, Raúl González Blanco will be Real Madrid’s sporting director.

“There needs to be a culture of professionals who would never harm Real Madrid. I explained the project to him, and the more I get to know him, the more certain I am that he’s someone who will always have Real Madrid’s best interests at heart.”

48-year-old Raúl, famously, made over 700 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 323 times, while winning three Champions Leagues and six La Liga titles.

The combination of player and role is a particularly pointed one, given Pérez’s reluctance to appoint a sporting director in recent years and Raúl’s exit from the club under a cloud last summer.

---

Fernando Hierro

Fernando Hierro has been lined up to lead the academy. | Michael Mayhew/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Not content with bolstering his ticket with just one club legend, Riquelme then released a statement announcing that former defender Fernando Hierro would be appointed head of the academy.

He said: “La Fábrica needs more than just talent. It needs leadership, high standards, and a true Madridista spirit.

“Fernando Hierro joins as Director of La Fábrica to help build a youth academy with structure, values and the ambition to succeed at the first team level. We continue to recover the identity that made Real Madrid great. And we continue building the Madrid of the future.”

---

Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas is one of Madrid’s all-time greats. | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

On Thursday, Riquelme added Iker Casillas to his roster of off-pitch talent—but did not specify the role the former goalkeeper would take on.

"The legendary goalkeeper will have a top-level position in the club’s structure," he announced.

Casillas, interestingly, has been vocal recently over his opposition to the return of José Mourinho as manager, writing, “I don't want him at Real Madrid,” in a post on X.

The three ex-pros—between them boasting more than 2,000 first-team appearances for Real Madrid—form what Riquelme has dubbed his “trio of captains.”

With Pérez dominating with endorsements from club legends in recent days, attaching three all-time greats to his ticket will be seen as a coup for Riquelme.

---

Vicente del Bosque

Vicente Del Bosque won two Champions Leagues at Madrid. | IMAGO / Pius Koller

Speaking on Cadena COPE (via AS), Riquelme added yet another illustrious name to his campaign in the form of Vicente del Bosque—a two-time Champions League winning manager and ex-player with over 300 appearances.

"He will be part of our project in a completely selfless way, solely for the good of Real Madrid,” Riquelme said, without giving more details over the role he had in mind.

---

Signs Point to Klopp for Manager

Jürgen Klopp is the frontrunner to be named manager if Riquelme wins. | Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

Seemingly, the only thing still missing from Riquelme’s proposed structure is the manager.

He has regularly insisted he will not follow the same path as Pérez in appointing Mourinho, while teasing that he has already lined up another unnamed option.

Despite his splashy promises on Rodri and Haaland, Riquelme has remained coy on his managerial choice, though there have been suggestions it is Red Bull’s head of soccer Jürgen Klopp—something he did has not denied.

Asked about the former Liverpool coach directly on COPE, Riquelme teased: “Just as I can confidently confirm some names, I have to be more cautious with coaches. Klopp is a great coach, but I can’t confirm anything. I’ve never sat down with Klopp, or any other coach. That’s the responsibility of the sporting department.”

---