Who is Enrique Riquelme, the Valencian businessman Florentino Pérez targeted in his Real Madrid broadside? | OneFootball

Florentino Pérez held a surprise Real Madrid press conference, lashing out at media and journalists before turning on Enrique Riquelme, an energy entrepreneur he said seems keen to run for president.

Pérez said he would call elections this year so candidates can come forward, described Riquelme as having a South American, later Mexican, accent, and urged him to stand. Riquelme is Spanish and from the Comunitat Valenciana.

Born in Cox, Alicante, Riquelme, 37, began in 2010 in Panamá with Grupo El Sol, then built Grupo Cox by integrating Cox Energy and Cox Water. His companies have projects in several countries, including Mexico. He has been a Real Madrid socio for 20 years.

“Two years ago we had a serious, concrete proposal, but, for the first time in Real Madrid history, the elections were brought forward and we did not have time to stand. We thought the elections would be in summer, after the season ended, but it was not like that,” he told El Periódico in 2023.

He may be joined by David Mesonero, son-in-law of Iberdrola chief Ignacio Sánchez Galán.

Mesonero, Iberdrola’s corporate development director, made a proposal to open the succession debate that ended up prompting this snap call in January after Xabi Alonso’s sacking. Since then, Riquelme and Mesonero have worked to assemble a board and aim to file an alternative ticket within the next 10 days, challenging 26 years of ‘Florentinato’.

Candidates must be Spanish and members for 20 uninterrupted years, with slate members needing 10, or 15 for a vice-president. Club statutes also require a guarantee worth 15 percent of the annual budget, about 187 million euros, secured solely against the candidates’ assets. The outgoing board remains fully in charge until any successor takes office.

Source: Superdeporte