Enrique Riquelme (foto: //)
Businessman Enrique Riquelme has emerged as a serious potential challenger to Florentino Perez ahead of Real Madrid’s presidential elections.
Florentino Perez may finally face genuine competition in the upcoming Real Madrid presidential elections after businessman Enrique Riquelme Vives emerged as a serious potential rival.
During his extraordinary press conference, Perez unexpectedly shifted attention away from football matters and publicly challenged an unnamed businessman to run against him.
“Let this gentleman who talks to the electricity companies and has a Mexican accent run,” Perez said.
“They say we are a dictatorship. Let him show that he knows better.”
Although Perez never directly mentioned the name, Spanish media quickly identified the target of his comments as Enrique Riquelme, a 37-year-old entrepreneur from Alicante.
Riquelme is the founder and CEO of Cox Energy, one of the most important renewable energy companies operating across Latin America.
In recent years, he has increasingly been viewed as the only realistic figure capable of challenging Perez financially and politically.
Born in the town of Cox near Alicante, Riquelme moved to Panama at the age of 21 and initially opened a small concrete factory.
His business expanded rapidly through infrastructure and mining projects connected to the expansion of the Panama Canal.
He later invested heavily in solar energy and founded Cox Energy in 2014.
The company now operates in countries including Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Spain, and the United States.
In business circles, Riquelme is often referred to as the “King of the Sun” because of his role in developing solar energy projects across Latin America.
Spanish reports estimate his personal wealth at around €460 million, although he has never publicly confirmed the figure.
That financial strength matters enormously because Real Madrid presidential candidates must provide personal bank guarantees worth around €187 million.
According to Spanish media, Riquelme has already been in discussions with banks regarding the required guarantees.
Importantly, he also fulfills another crucial condition for candidacy.
Riquelme has reportedly been an official Real Madrid member for more than 20 years.
His connection to the club also runs through his family, as his father previously served on the club’s board during the presidency of Ramon Calderon.
He has regularly attended major Real Madrid matches, including Champions League finals in Milan, Cardiff, and Kyiv.
Reports in Spain claim Riquelme has already rented offices near the Santiago Bernabeu and started discussions with several former Real Madrid figures, including legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Rumors about a possible presidential challenge first appeared back in 2021 when Riquelme reportedly discussed a project called “Real Madrid 3.0”, focused on modernization and stronger involvement for club members.
At that stage, he never formally entered the race.
Now, however, the situation appears far more serious.
With Perez publicly acknowledging him for the first time and the election process approaching rapidly, Real Madrid could finally face its first meaningful presidential battle in years.