The presidential battle between Florentino Perez and challenger Enrique Riquelme of Cox Energy is starting to become heated. Riquelme's promise to deliver Erling Haaland on a platter to Real Madrid fans has set Florentino Perez off even more, and although the Madridistas were not liking the instability of the elections at first, they are loving the theater now.
Riquelme has brought an edge back to Perez that Real Madrid fans have not seen in years. Perez is already bringing in two world class defenders in Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate on bargain deals from top European clubs, and he is now boasting of an incoming Galactico that many Madridistas feel will be a PSG midfielder in either Vitinha or Joao Neves.
Well, Riquelme keeps countering with blows of his own, and after announcing that Real Madrid legend Raul will be his sporting director, he is trying to get an even more popular name to join his team, which also includes a more controversial Real Madrid legend in Jose Mourinho's sworn enemy (or maybe it's more apt to say it's the other way around) Iker Casillas.
Enrique Riquelme is trying to build a recognizable squad of his own
According to reporting from COPE, via Madrid Xtra, the next big Real Madrid legend that Enrique Riquelme has on his radar to add to his project is Toni Kroos, as Riquelme is reportedly actively recruiting the German international to his project.
There are two reasons why this is a crazy ploy from Riquelme. Kroos was one of Perez's most important signings, an absolute bargain from under the noses of Bayern Munich, who insulted him and his agent with poor renewal offers. Kroos would eventually dominate them and break their hearts en route to four Champions League titles and a much bigger legacy in the Spanish capital.
But not only would Kroos joining Riquelme be a betrayal of Florentino Perez from the stand point that he was Perez's player whom the current president brought in, it would also be a betrayal because Perez and the current Real Madrid brass have already been doing their best to bring Kroos into the team and groom him into a key front office role.
Toni Kroos only recently retired in the 2023/24 season at the top of his game, and if it were not for a Marc Cucurella handball that did not get called in the European Championships, he perhaps could have walked away from the game with even more - like his first European Championship or even the Ballon d'Or over Spain's champion Rodri. Kroos still has a lot to give to this game, and Perez would hate to lose him to Riquelme, though Madridistas will be very, very skeptical that this reporting is true, just like all the whirlwind reports in Riquelme's run at the crown.
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