Riquelme campaign walks back Haaland claim after City and agent hit back

Enrique Riquelme’s campaign to unseat Florentino Perez as Real Madrid president has been thrown into controversy after his team was forced to walk back claims about Erling Haaland, following a sharp response from Manchester City and the player’s representatives. Riquelme had stated that the Norwegian striker would play for Real Madrid in the future as part of his pitch to voters, but his camp now insists he never claimed Haaland was already signed.

Haaland’s agent Rafaela Pimenta and his father Alfie Haaland responded to the reports with a brief dismissal: “All very entertaining but not true. We wish all the best for both candidates in the Madrid elections.” Manchester City went further, issuing a formal statement threatening legal action over the use of their player’s image in a political campaign.

“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” a City spokesperson said. “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.”

Riquelme, a businessman, has nonetheless doubled down on his confidence that a deal can be done. “If I break my promises regarding either of these players, I’ve signed a guarantee where I’d pay 100 per cent of membership costs for next season,” he said. “Haaland has a release clause, and he wants to come to Madrid.” El Mundo has reported that Riquelme has been working on a potential move to the Bernabeu for several years.

Haaland was heavily linked with Real Madrid before choosing to join City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, having previously impressed at Red Bull Salzburg. He has since scored 162 goals for City, won the Champions League, and claimed the Premier League Golden Boot three times. In January 2024 he signed a new nine-and-a-half year contract, underlining his long-term commitment to the club.

City’s anger at seeing their striker used as a campaign prop is understandable given the scale of that investment. Whether Riquelme’s pledge carries any legal or sporting weight remains to be seen — he would first need to win the presidential election against the long-serving Perez.