Manchester City considers legal action over president candidate’s claims
Manchester City are weighing up legal proceedings against Enrique Riquelme, a candidate seeking to become Real Madrid’s next president, after he asserted on Spanish television that he would bring Erling Haaland to the Bernabeu if victorious in Sunday’s ballot, reports BritPanorama.
The Premier League champions moved swiftly to rebuff the claims on Thursday morning. “The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” a club spokesperson stated. “There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it.”
City added they were exploring legal avenues over the unauthorised use of their player’s image during the campaign. Riquelme, a 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur challenging long-serving president Florentino Perez, made his bold declaration during an appearance on the popular *El Hormiguero* programme on Wednesday evening. During this appearance, he held aloft a Real Madrid shirt emblazoned with Haaland’s name and the number nine.
“Haaland has a release clause and wants to join Real Madrid,” Riquelme declared. Such was his conviction that he signed a notarised document before the cameras, pledging to cover the annual membership fees for all 100,000 Real Madrid socios should he win the presidency but fail to deliver the Norwegian striker. This promise, however, was quickly dismissed by Haaland’s father Alfie and his representative Rafaela Pimenta, who issued a joint statement declaring, “All very entertaining but not true. We wish all the best for both candidates in the Real Madrid elections.”
Their intervention came shortly after Riquelme’s television appearance, with the denial reaching English media through transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano. The Real Madrid presidential contest marks the first time Perez, who is 79, has faced a challenger since 2004. Voting takes place this Sunday.
Haaland committed his long-term future to the Etihad when he penned a nine-and-a-half-year contract extension in January 2025, tying him to City until the summer of 2034. The 25-year-old has proven remarkably prolific since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, amassing 162 goals across 198 appearances and claiming three Premier League Golden Boot awards. This season alone, he helped City secure both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup whilst finishing as the league’s top scorer with 27 goals.
While Riquelme also pledged to bring City midfielder Rodri to the Spanish capital, the club’s statement made no reference to the Spaniard.
As the Real Madrid election approaches, the back-and-forth serves as a reminder of how the intersection of football politics and player transfer speculation can create a volatile mix. With Haaland securely tied to City, one wonders if the theatrics on display will truly sway voters or simply offer a fleeting spectacle.
