The high-stakes battle for the Real Madrid presidency has just spilled over into a full-blown legal war with Manchester City. In an explosive escalation of boardroom politics, the English champions have officially threatened legal action against Spanish billionaire and Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme over the unauthorized use of Erling Haaland’s image and rights.
The drama ignited after Riquelme made a sensational appearance on the popular Spanish television show El Hormiguero. In a desperate bid to win over voters and unseat longtime president Florentino Pérez, the 37-year-old renewable energy tycoon pulled out a Real Madrid jersey emblazoned with Haaland’s name, boldly claiming he had signed documents securing a blockbuster transfer for the Norwegian goal-machine.
The reaction from the Etihad Stadium was swift, brutal, and completely uncompromising. Manchester City immediately issued an official statement to The Athletic to completely dismantle the narrative coming out of Spain.
“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 over the use of our player’s image in this context.”
City’s fury is entirely understandable. The club heavily protected their biggest asset earlier this year by tying Haaland down to an unprecedented, historic nine-and-a-half-year contract extension that runs until 2034. Club insiders have made it categorically clear that there are absolutely no release clauses available for Spanish clubs to exploit, making Riquelme’s live-TV stunt an outright fabrication in the eyes of the City hierarchy.
It didn’t take long for Haaland’s own camp to join the fray and laugh off the wild election promises. In a joint statement, the striker’s father, Alfie Haaland, and his high-profile agent, Rafaela Pimenta, mockingly put out the fire with a heavy dose of irony: “Very entertaining, but not true. We wish both candidates the best in the Madrid elections.”
Riquelme’s campaign strategy is clearly borrowed from the old Florentino Pérez playbook—specifically the famous 2000 election where Pérez promised and successfully delivered Luis Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona. However, by using a player who has fully committed his long-term future to Manchester, the challenger has severely burned his fingers.
With City’s legal team now actively drafting a lawsuit over image rights violations, Riquelme’s dream Galáctico promise has instantly transformed into a costly corporate nightmare.
