Who is Enrique Riquelme? 32-year-old set to compete vs Perez in Real Madrid elections

Florentino Perez has grown synonymous with Real Madrid over the past decade and the club president is well known for steering the club towards great successes during his reign. The second-longest-serving president in Los Blancos' history, Perez has faced no competition since he returned to office in 2009, ensuring a decade's worth of success which saw them lift four Champions League titles and three LaLiga crowns. However, Perez is set to face a new contender in elections with Enrique Riquelme set to stand for the Real Madrid presidential elections. Here's a look at who is Enrique Riquelme?

Enrique Riquelme Real Madrid presidential elections: Who is Enrique Riquelme? 

According to Spanish media reports, Enrique Riquelme, founder, president and CEO of Cox Energy, a renewable energy company will compete in the upcoming Real Madrid presidential elections. The 32-year-old businessman is the son of a former manager of Los Blancos during the reign of Ramón Calderón and a member of the team for more than 20 years. Among the requirements to be a candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid, the candidate should have at least 20 years of service without pauses as a member, while also endorsing 15% of the club's budget with personal assets.

Riquelme, who won the 2018 National Young Entrepreneur Award granted by the Spanish Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs, plans to fight Florentino Pérez for the presidency of Los Blancos,  but it is not expected to be easy despite their struggles since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. The 32-year-old was chosen by Forbes last year as one of the 100 most creative Spaniards in the business world, where he has worked in sectors such as mining, cement and infrastructure. His company, Cox Energy also has investments in real estate and shopping centres.

Florentino Perez has been the Real Madrid president for the past 11 years, since taking over from Ramon Calderon in 2009. He has secured the post unopposed in the last three election cycles and the elections would be staged possibly in mid to late July. The current Real Madrid president remains favourite to retain his chair, especially with his promise of getting superstar players and the rebuilding work on the Santiago Bernabéu. Perez has also done well to steer Los Blancos away from financial chaos amidst the pandemic. 

Florentino Perez net worth 

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Florentino Perez's net worth is expected to be around a whopping $1.4billion. The 74-year-old serves the as Chairman and CEO of Grupo ACS, a civil engineering company. Grupo ACS is Spain's largest construction company and has a net worth of $2.3 billion. Perez was first elected as Real Madrid president in 2000, but resigned in the year 2006, accepting that the team and the club as a whole needed a new direction. He contested in the 2009 elections and was the only candidate able to provide the €57,389,000 guarantee necessary to run for the presidency. 

(Image Courtesy: realmadrid.com, coxenergy.com)