Rafael Nadal has distanced himself from reports linking him with the Real Madrid presidential race. The tennis legend’s comments follow current president Florentino Pérez’s call for elections in a tense press conference on Tuesday.
Nadal is a Real Madrid fan and has been spotted at several of their matches over the years. He was also at the Bernabéu stadium last month as part of a collaboration between Real Madrid and the Madrid Open.
Rafael Nadal Denies Claims He Could Join Race To Become Next Real Madrid President
After Pérez called for elections on Tuesday, some in the Madrid media began to wonder who could challenge him to become the next president of the Spanish club. Given Nadal’s popularity and stature in Spain, some even floated him as a possible challenger to Pérez. But the 39-year-old has now poured cold water on that speculation.
“Information has been circulating linking me with a possible candidacy for the presidency of Real Madrid. I would like to clarify that these reports are not true,” he wrote on X on Wednesday.
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
This is not the first time Nadal has commented on the Real Madrid presidency. The Mallorca native spoke in 2017 about his desire to one day become the club’s president.
“Of course, I’d like to be Real Madrid president. You never know what’ll happen in the future. Anyhow, we have a great president now and I don’t think Real Madrid will need me,” he said to Marca in 2017.
Nadal further opened up about his aspirations to one day become the Real Madrid president in November 2025.
“Right now, they have the best man for the job. I don’t know… On a conceptual level, it must be a beautiful position to have. If I were to consider it, I would have to do so when I’m ready, part of me would like to be in a position where I could consider it, but I don’t know,” he said on Movistar.
Nadal is an honorary member of Real Madrid, one of the many prerequisites for running for the presidency. He has been supporting the club since childhood, but does not fit every criteria yet and an exception would have to be made to allow him to enter the ballot.
It remains to be seen whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion still harbors aspirations to become part of the Real Madrid boardroom in the future. Since retiring from tennis, he has been focused on his academy, other business ventures, golf, and his family.
