Manchester City Consider Legal Action Over Haaland's Use in Election
Manchester City have moved from irritation to open confrontation after Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme used Erling Haaland as a campaign prop on Spanish television – and claimed he could prise the striker out of the Etihad with a clause in his contract.
Riquelme, challenging Florentino Pérez in Sunday’s presidential elections, appeared on the popular show El Hormiguero brandishing a Madrid shirt with Haaland’s name on the back. He then told viewers that a release clause in the Norwegian’s deal would allow him to bring the forward to the Bernabéu if he won the vote.
“Haaland has a release clause and he wants to come to Madrid,” Riquelme said, doubling down on a promise that cut straight to the heart of City’s project. He also vowed that Rodri, the club’s midfield metronome and a Ballon d’Or winner, would swap Manchester for the 15-times European champions under his presidency.
City’s response was swift – and pointed.
On Thursday, the club issued a strongly worded statement dismissing the claims and confirming they are exploring legal options over the use of Haaland’s image in a political contest they did not consent to.
“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue. There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it. We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context,” City said.
The denial did not come from Manchester alone. Haaland’s camp closed ranks just as quickly. His father, Alfie, and his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, rejected Riquelme’s narrative with a short, sharp rebuttal.
“All very entertaining but not true,” they said, before adding a diplomatic line that they “wish all the best for both candidates in the Real Madrid elections.”
The message was clear: Haaland’s future is not a campaign slogan.
Riquelme, though, pushed ahead with his pitch. On Rodri, he was just as bold, framing the Spain international as the cornerstone of his sporting project.
“He’s a top player, a Ballon d’Or winner in a position where Madrid needs to strengthen. If I become president, Rodri will play for Real Madrid, with all due respect to City,” he said.
This was not vague electioneering. Riquelme tried to give his promises legal and financial weight, claiming he had personally underwritten them.
“I don’t have the track record of Florentino – I’ve never been president. That’s why I’m committing myself to the two players I’ve announced, backed by a personal notarised guarantee. If I fail to deliver, I will pay 100% of the annual dues of Madrid’s 100,000 members.”
It is a spectacular pledge: two of City’s most valuable assets, tied directly to his credibility and wallet. For City, it crosses a line – from transfer gossip into the realm of legal and reputational risk.
The timing adds another layer. Pep Guardiola is leaving after a decade that reshaped the club and, in many ways, the Premier League. With the architect of their era stepping away, rivals sense a crack in the armour. Players naturally begin to assess what comes next.
Rodri has already hinted at the complexity of his own situation. Speaking on Monday, the 29-year-old, whose contract runs out next summer, struck a calm but intriguing tone.
“I’m very calm, I know exactly where I stand, and I’ll tell you that perhaps if there hadn’t been a World Cup, things might be different,” he said.
No declaration of intent. No farewell either. Just enough to fuel speculation in Madrid and beyond.
While the political theatre plays out in Spain, City’s recruitment machine keeps turning. They have already tested Nottingham Forest’s resolve over Elliot Anderson, only to be knocked back.
An initial bid for the 23-year-old midfielder has been rejected, with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis believed to be holding out for a figure in the region of £100m – the sum City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in August 2021. It would be a club-record sale for Forest and a statement of continuity from City: Guardiola may be leaving, but the financial muscle and long-term squad planning remain.
Hugo Viana, City’s sporting director, is expected to return with an improved offer. Anderson’s stock has rarely been higher. He is in line to start for England in their opening World Cup match against Croatia on 17 June, a stage that could inflate his value even further.
So City stand at an intriguing crossroads. On one side, a presidential hopeful in Madrid waves their stars on television and talks about clauses that do not exist. On the other, they fight to secure the next wave of talent while key figures weigh their futures in a post-Guardiola world.
The legal letters may fly. The election promises may fade. The real question is whether City can hold their core together while building the next version of themselves under a new manager, with Europe watching for the slightest sign of weakness.
