That the name Enrique Riquelme has made headlines is no longer just a café bet. The Alicante businessman, founder and CEO of Grupo Cox, has officially confirmed that he is running for the 2026 Real Madrid presidential elections, thus breaking more than twenty years of electoral peace at the Santiago Bernabéu. The question is no longer hypothetical: are we facing the man capable of challenging Florentino Pérez at the polls?
Who is Enrique Riquelme Vives
Born on January 9, 1989 in Cox, a small town in Alicante that gave its name to his business empire, Enrique Riquelme Vives is currently 37 years old. Yes, you read that right: 37. At an age when many are still debating whether pineapple on pizza is a culinary crime, he dedicates it to challenging the strongman of Madridismo. Things that happen when you bill billions before turning 40.
His business career began in family companies linked to the real estate and construction sector. In 2010, he made the international leap by settling in Panama, where he dedicated himself to nothing less than selling sand for the canal works. Two years later, he was already investing in Guatemala, where he secured one of the largest photovoltaic projects ever carried out in Latin America without state subsidy: the Rainbow 50 project.
The foundation of Cox Energy and the stock market leap
In 2014, he founded Cox Energy, specialising in renewable energies and photovoltaic solar, with projects spread across Chile, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Spain and Portugal. The company, now integrated into Grupo Cox (after merging with Cox Water in 2024), operates as a global utility for water and energy, with technologies for desalination, reuse, treatment and generation of green energy.
On November 15, 2024, the group made the definitive leap to listing on the Spanish Stock Exchange, raising a minimum of 300 million euros in its debut. As if that weren't enough, a few months ago it completed the purchase of Iberdrola Mexico for 4 billion dollars, a move that has placed it on the radar of major players in the global energy sector.
Business recognition: awards and covers
Riquelme is no newcomer to the business world. In 2018, Forbes featured him on its cover under the nickname “The Man of Solar Energy”. That same year, he received the National Young Entrepreneur Award, awarded by the Spanish Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs (CEAJE).
His name also appears on the Forbes list of the 100 best CEOs in Spain 2024 and among the 100 most creative Spaniards in business. He is part of the Board of Directors of the Business Council Alliance for Ibero-America (CEAPI) and is a member of the International Council of San Telmo Business School. His résumé, let’s say, wasn’t pulled out of a fortune cookie.
Social commitment and foundations
Beyond business, Riquelme chairs the Advisory Council of the Scholas Foundation for Panama, Central America and the Caribbean, an initiative linked to the educational field. He is also a member of the advisory council of the Hermes Foundation, dedicated to defending citizens' digital rights. Details that paint a picture of a businessman with a social impact vocation, something he will fully exploit in his campaign.
The candidacy for the presidency of Real Madrid
Here we arrive at the crux of the matter. Following the early announcement of elections by Florentino Pérez on May 14, 2026, Riquelme sent a letter to the current president requesting “a broader process that allows and encourages the real participation of members and Madridistas in their future”. Florentino's response was blunt: “When they called the elections in 2000, I didn’t ask for more time, I ran and won”. Free translation: a definite door slam.
Despite the snub, the Alicante native has decided to take up the challenge. He has until next Saturday to submit all the documentation and, according to recent movements, he is already assembling a solid team. He meets the three statutory requirements: he is Spanish, has been an uninterrupted member of the club for over 20 years, and has the financial solvency to cover the guarantee of 187 million euros (15% of the total budget, which is around 1.2 billion).
The Klopp factor and the shadow of Iberdrola
The candidacy comes with major surprises. According to reports, Riquelme has contacted Jürgen Klopp to strengthen the sports project, a move that would shake up the white bench. Furthermore, his business profile places him close to the circle of Ignacio Sánchez Galán, president of Iberdrola and historical archrival of Florentino in the corporate arena. The Madridismo hasn’t remembered such a juicy chess game in decades.
Florentino, for his part, has already defined his rival with his usual subtlety: “That gentleman who talks to the electric companies and has a South American accent”, later clarified as “Mexican accent”. Curiosities of fate: Riquelme was born in Cox, Alicante, although he lives and operates mainly from Mexico, where he has a good part of his businesses.
The last electoral precedent
To find truly contested elections at Real Madrid, one must go back to 2004, when Lorenzo Sanz and Arturo Baldasano faced Florentino. Since then, the presidential chair has been forbidden territory for any dissident. That Riquelme dares now, with barely ten days to set up a candidacy, guarantee and sports project, says a lot about the countercurrent character of the individual.
Additionally, Madridista antecedents run in the candidate's blood: his father was an executive at the white club, which adds a sentimental dimension to the adventure. He is not just a businessman looking for a new toy; he is someone who grew up hearing about the Bernabéu at family meals.
What Madridismo has at stake
We are facing something unprecedented in decades: a real face-off between two opposing models. On one side, the consolidated Florentino, owner of ACS and absolute emperor of Spanish football. On the other, a young, international businessman with financial muscle, who arrives waving the flag of “modern democracy” and the promise of fresh air.
If Riquelme manages to secure the guarantee, formalise the candidacy before Saturday, and mobilise Madridista members, the Bernabéu will experience elections that will be talked about for years. The hashtag #RiquelmePresidente is already flirting with trending topics, and that, in the age of social media, is no small feat. Madridismo is about to discover if it is ready to take off, as they say now, the electoral pyjamas.
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