Enrique Riquelme has made quite the name for himself in the recent weeks during his campaign for Real Madrid presidency. He has been bold, brash, and has made a number outlandish promises should be elected. One of the main talking points surrounding the presidency and Real Madrid next season is who will be the next manager. Current club president Florentino Perez has confirmed he will be bringing in Jose Mourinho for next season, and according to reports, Riquelme has met with the man he wants to bring in to save Real Madrid.
As being reported by journalist Ramon Alvarez on X, Enrique Riquelme's candidacy has held at least two meetings with Jurgen Klopp and Red Bull executives, with the objective being to bring the German manager to Real Madrid should he win the upcoming presidential election. Riquelme prefers Klopp to Mourinho as he believes the Germans free flowing attacking football symbolizes Real Madrid more than Mourinho's typical defensive style.
Enrique Riquelme has his mind made up on his Real Madrid manager
At the moment it seems like Riquelme is going to have to do something big if he hopes to beat Florentino Perez and with his announcement that he'll sign Haaland should he win, promising to bring in Klopp while still unlikely, could be what he needs to win the election.
The German had long been the number one candidate in the eyes of Florentino Perez to be the new manager next season until he shifted his focus towards a reunion with Jose Mourinho. Klopp has been out of management since 2024 after leaving Liverpool to take up a position with the Red Bull Group of clubs as the Head of Global Soccer. Real Madrid has really been the only club linked with trying to get the German to return to management and Riquelme is using that to his advantage to make a late surge to win the presidency.
From Riquelme's perspective it's plausible to see why promising to bring in Klopp as the next manager could sway voters towards him. With the sheer attacking quality at Real Madrid the squad definitely fits his style more than Mourinho's, with many believing the Portuguese manager's best days are behind him and Klopp is still in the prime of his coaching career.
But let's be honest here, Riquelme isn't going to bring in Klopp. Real Madrid has been trying to convince him for the last year but he has insisted that he is happy with his role at the Red Bull Group and won't be leaving anytime soon, so why now would he change that stance for someone random like Enrique Riquelme? While everyone surely loves the idea of Jurgen Klopp at the Bernabeu, unfortunately for Riquelme and his campaign, it's not going to happen.
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