Florentino Pérez drew attention during his recent press conference with comments aimed at a possible challenger in the upcoming Real Madrid presidential elections.

The Real Madrid president referred to “an energy sector businessman with a South American accent” while encouraging potential candidates to officially enter the race.

“I'm calling for applications this year so there will be candidates. That gentleman who talks to the power companies and has a South American accent, let him run. A Mexican accent. They say we're very bad, that we're a dictatorship. Let this gentleman we're talking about run, and anyone else who wants to.”

The remarks were directed at Enrique Riquelme Vives, current CEO of Cox Energy, a Spanish photovoltaic solar company founded in 2014 with operations in Mexico, Chile, Panama, Colombia, and Spain.

Born in Cox, Alicante, 37 years ago, Riquelme has built a reputation in the renewable energy sector and has been included among the 100 most influential Latinos fighting climate change.

Beyond his business career, Riquelme is known as a longtime Real Madrid supporter and sports enthusiast. He attended the Champions League finals in Milan, Kyiv, and Cardiff, while his company sponsors Team Rafa, the team owned by Rafael Nadal competing in the UIM E1 World Championship.

He is also founder and CEO of Grupo Cox, a company focused on renewable energy, water treatment, desalination, and water reuse. The company went public on the Spanish Stock Exchange in November 2024.

"My business activity has always been linked to social commitment and supporting talent," Riquelme states on his LinkedIn profile.

Riquelme first emerged as a possible presidential candidate in 2021, when speculation linked him with a challenge against Florentino Pérez. At the time, he presented himself as a Real Madrid member of more than 20 years but ultimately chose not to run.

The businessman, whose father previously served on the club’s Board of Directors, meets the membership requirements needed to stand in the elections.

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