Manchester City Considers Legal Action Over Haaland's Madrid Controversy
Manchester City are weighing up legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate publicly vowed to sign Erling Haaland and even brandished a Madrid shirt with the striker’s name on it.
Enrique Riquelme, a 37-year-old renewable energy tycoon attempting to unseat Florentino Perez, appeared on Spanish television on Wednesday and held up the customised jersey before making a bold promise.
“He has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid. If I become president, he will play for Real Madrid,” Riquelme said.
The response from Haaland’s camp was immediate and emphatic. In a joint statement, his father and agent shot down the claims, before City themselves dismissed the notion out of hand.
“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” the statement read. “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, fiercely protective of their star striker and the terms of his contract, are understood to be furious at seeing Haaland’s name and image used as electoral currency in Madrid’s political battle.
Riquelme did not stop at Haaland. He also went after one of City’s other untouchables, Rodri, presenting the midfielder as another cornerstone of his campaign.
“He is a great player, in a position where Madrid need to strengthen,” Riquelme said. “We have spoken to his agent. We have to respect his club, but if I'm president he will play for Madrid. I will do everything possible.”
Those words cut straight to the heart of Manchester City’s core. Rodri, the metronome of Pep Guardiola’s side, and Haaland, the ruthless finisher, are being paraded as potential trophies in a Real Madrid election that has suddenly turned combative.
For the first time in 20 years, Perez faces a genuine challenge at the ballot box. Riquelme has forced an election in which the long-serving president is no longer running unopposed, a direct consequence of two seasons without a major trophy and growing unrest in the stands at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Riquelme’s campaign has been built on grand promises and big gestures. He has talked of vast giveaways, including a “members’ city” for fans around the club’s training base, and a pledge to cut annual membership fees by up to 50% if Madrid fail to win the Champions League next season.
He has also placed himself firmly against one of Perez’s most contentious decisions: the move to bring Jose Mourinho back as manager. That appointment can only be formalised if Perez wins the election, and Riquelme has made clear he would take the club in a different direction.
His preferred route? A marquee coaching name of a very different profile. Riquelme and his campaign team have repeatedly hinted that former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp sits at the top of their wish list.
When asked about Klopp in an interview with The Athletic last month, Riquelme said: “Naturally, I would love for profiles of that calibre, and others like them, to coach this club.”
It is an audacious pitch: Haaland, Rodri, Klopp – a fantasy spine for a new Real Madrid era, dangled in front of a restless fanbase.
Just under 100,000 club members are eligible to vote when the election takes place on Sunday, 7 June. Perez himself called the vote, seeking a renewed mandate after a spell of on-field turbulence and vocal disapproval from the Bernabeu seats.
He remains the overwhelming favourite. His record, his influence and his grip on the club’s machinery are formidable. Yet Riquelme has injected drama, spectacle and now international controversy into a race that rarely leaves Madrid’s own orbit.
With City threatening legal action and two of their most important players pulled into the crossfire, this presidential contest has already spilled far beyond the Spanish capital. The ballots will be cast in Madrid, but the ripples are being felt in Manchester – and across Europe’s transfer market.
