Tennis legend Rafael Nadal speaks out about the turmoil in Real Madrid during the reopening of his rebuilt museum in Manacor. – Not bad to have your own museum.
Rafael Nadal officially reopened his completely renovated museum in Manacor and also participated in a press conference that lasted almost half an hour. A wide range of topics were discussed, including one of the biggest news at Real Madrid recently – following the club’s official election announcement and Florentino Pérez’s much-publicized press conference in which he openly invited challengers to run. One of the names that has been linked to a possible candidacy is businessman Enrique Riquelme.
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Nadal suddenly found himself in the center of attention after he had released a public statement the day before in which he distanced himself from all political involvement in the club. Several reports had linked the tennis icon to Riquelme’s potential project.
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“I just wanted to stop the speculation before it grew even bigger, because I saw that people connected me to Enrique Riquelme’s candidacy. I can understand that to a certain extent, because he sponsors the academy’s padel team and also the electric boat team. I understand why people might speculate in that direction. But even though I have a good relationship with Enrique, I have enormous respect for Florentino and for everything he is – and has been – for Real Madrid,” Nadal said.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner made it clear that he wants to remain neutral and avoid being dragged into internal power struggles within the club.
“I’m not a person who usually denies things through statements or anything like that. I have practically never done that. But football is different, and the story grew very quickly. I just wanted to get everything straight,” he explained.
Nadal acknowledged that he knows Enrique Riquelme well, but he resolutely avoided giving his support to a possible presidential candidacy.
“I don’t know if he’s going to run or not, and I also don’t know what he can – or can’t – contribute, because I don’t have the ability to analyze it properly. I prefer not to talk about Florentino, but about what he has contributed – something he has shown throughout all these years. Enrique would be a new option, and new things have to prove themselves,” Nadal said.
The Spanish legend once again distanced himself from any possibility of getting involved in Real Madrid politics.
“I don’t know what will happen in the future. Right now, I’m focusing on my own stuff, and there are quite a few of them,” he said.
Nadal also reflected on Real Madrid’s difficult season and the growing attention around the club.
“Real Madrid have had a tough season. It’s obvious that things haven’t gone well, and that’s the way the sport is – you can’t always win. In football, everything is amplified, and I guess it’s also wise to realize from time to time that you may have made mistakes. I understand why elections are called, and that the members should be allowed to decide whether they still have confidence in the current board, with Florentino as president, or whether there should be an alternative. It should be up to the members to decide.
The journey so far for Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal was born in Manacor, Mallorca in 1986, and he is considered by many to be the greatest tennis player of all time. He won his first Grand Slam title as a 19-year-old at the French Open in 2005, and since then, the “King of Clay” has dominated Roland Garros with a whopping 14 titles – a record that hardly anyone will beat.
Throughout his career, Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles, including the French Open (14), Australian Open (2), Wimbledon (2), and US Open (4). He has also won Olympic gold in both singles (Beijing 2008) and doubles (Rio 2016), and he has been part of the legendary Spanish Davis Cup team that won the tournament five times.
His unthinkable rivalry with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic defined an entire golden age in the sport of tennis. Nadal is known for his incredible physique, his unstoppable willpower, his signature topspin forehand and his ability to win points where others had given up.
Unfortunately, injuries have characterized the later years of his career. Nadal has struggled with both hip, stomach and foot problems, and he has several times been close to quitting. Nevertheless, he has come back time and time again. After a long period of injury, he made a comeback in 2024, and he has said himself that he wants to end his career on his own terms.
Off the court, he runs the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, which has fostered several future stars. He is also a dedicated philanthropist through the Rafa Nadal Foundation, which works with social inclusion and help for vulnerable children and young people.
Although he is now nearing the end of an outstanding career, Nadal still holds a special place in the hearts of sports fans around the world – both for what he has accomplished on the court, and for the humility and respect he has always shown off it.
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