Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme said on the popular YouTube podcast the Wild Project that he’d like the club’s eternal rival FC Barcelona to “disappear”.
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Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme said on the popular YouTube podcast the Wild Project that he’d like the club’s eternal rival FC Barcelona to “disappear”.
Riquelme will challenge long-time Los Blancos leader Florentino Perez in an election on June 7.
On the campaign trial, the Spanish businessman and founder of COX Energy has made several media appearances with his latest coming via the Wild Project.
Asked about Barca, Riquelme said: “I want to see Barcelona in the Second Division. I would love to. I wouldn’t have any problems with that and I’d be happy. And it is not being disrespectful. I would also like Barcelona to disappear. I wouldn’t have any problems with that.”
While Riquelme accepted that the Catalans are a part of “football history” he doesn’t care what the other clubs do as he wants “Real Madrid to win, and only Madrid”.
Riquelme then accused Perez of helping Barca in the past, and made a reference to the Negreira scandal.
“If I had been there, I can assure you that not only would I not have helped, but that my hand would not have reached out to them. It’s a healthy competition, but if you’ve competed in a way where you’ve used the money to pay the vice-president of the referees…,” Riquelme trailed off.
Furthermore, he accused Perez of billing “Madrid directly and indirectly for everything” and being involved in the Super League “because he is a shareholder of the company that created it (A22 Sports Management)”.
Whoever continues as Real Madrid president has to dethrone FC Barcelona
Whether it is Perez that wins re-election or a fresh face like Riquelme that comes in, they will have to dethrone Barca in order to rule Spanish football once more.
When Real Madrid won a record 15th Champions League crown in 2024 plus La Liga as the Blaugrana finished the season trophyless, the arrrival of Kylian Mbappe was meant to usher in a new era of dominance.
As things have turned out, though, it is Madrid that has now gone two terms without major silverware. On the other side of the El Clasico rivalry, Hansi Flick clinched five out of the six competitions on offer domestically.
With Flick renewing his contract until 2028, a new Madrid manager appointed by the president has to outfox the German. If Perez stays, that could be Jose Mourinho charged with such a task after doing similar with Pep Guardiola for Real Madrid in the early 2010s.