Rafael Nadal could one day become the head of one of the biggest football teams in the world after receiving fresh endorsement from its current president.
Spanish businessman Florentino Pérez has said that he would like to see the 17-time grand slam champion take over his position in the future. The 72-year-old has been the president of Real Madrid since 2000. The duty of the president is to oversee the management of the club, including players and coach signings. Presidents of the club are elected by ballot.
“Nadal would be a magnificent choice for the presidency of Real Madrid.” Perez told El Confidential last week.
“(Nadal) is one of the best ambassadors of Real Madrid in the world.” He added.
It is not the first time the 11-time French Open champion has been named as a potential candidate for the position. Last year, Nadal himself said that he would like to one day become the head of Real Madrid. He has been an honorary member of the club since 2014 and was widely reported as being a key figure in the signing of Marco Asensio in 2014.
“You never know what will happen. Everybody knows that I love football and that Real Madrid is my team.” Nadal told reporters in June 2017.
“Talking about that now is a bit of a utopia but if you ask me, of course I would like to be president. In any case, we’re doing just fine as we are, we have a great president and I don’t think Real Madrid need me for anything.”
Whilst Nadal is one the right track to one day head the club, he will not be able to do so anytime soon unless Real Madrid changes their election rules. Under their current policy, presidential candidates are required to be a member of the club for at least 20 years beforehand. In Nadal’s case, he would achieve that requirement in 2031 when he turns 45.
According to Forbes magazine, Real Madrid is the second most valuable football team in the world after Manchester United. They have a current value of $4.088 billion, including a revenue of $735 million. Julen Lopetegui is the current manager of the club.
