With Benfica lurking, Riquelme dodges questions about Mourinho | OneFootball

Enrique Riquelme has already voted in the Real Madrid elections, but chose not to fuel the controversy surrounding José Mourinho. Asked by journalists about the use of the Portuguese coach as one of Florentino Pérez’s main election assets, even though he is still under contract with Benfica, the candidate avoided answering. His advisory team ultimately even interrupted the sequence of questions related to the matter.

Even so, during an interview given over the course of the week, Riquelme did not hide his admiration for the Portuguese manager, although he made it clear that Mourinho is not part of his plans to lead the Madrid side.

“Mourinho is a great coach. He has worked with some of the best players in the world and had an important spell at Real Madrid. However, at this moment, he does not fit the profile we are looking for. That does not diminish his value as a coach in any way,” the candidate said.

Riquelme also expressed reservations about the process involving Mourinho’s possible move to the Santiago Bernabéu, stressing that he does not know the details of the deal. “I do not know the details of the signing. Do you think he has already been signed? Imagine if contracts then have to be terminated. I would have liked to discuss these issues with Florentino Pérez,” he added.

It should be remembered that Benfica recently informed the CMVM that it had received an expression of the “firm intention” from Florentino Pérez’s candidacy to hire José Mourinho, if the current president wins this Sunday’s elections. The deal provides for the payment of the Portuguese coach’s release clause, set at 15 million euros.

For his part, Enrique Riquelme assured that he continues to work on his project for the club and revealed that several professionals have shown interest in joining his candidacy. Although he did not disclose the name of the coach he intends to hire if elected, he said it is an experienced, solid choice, prepared to face the demands of a club like Real Madrid.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.