According to a report from Marca, Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez used a recent press conference to call out a potential challenger for the club’s presidency. Florentino mentioned “a businessman from the energy sector with a South American accent” who appears interested in running for the position, and he directly challenged him to step forward. The individual referenced is Enrique Riquelme Vives, the current Executive Chairman of Cox Energy.
During the unusual press conference, one of the most surprising moments came when Florentino said, “I’m scheduling elections this year so all candidates can come forward. That person in the energy business, always dealing with electricity companies, with a South American accent—he can run too. Yes, a Mexican accent. Some people say we’re terrible, that Real Madrid is like a dictatorship? Well, that person, and anyone else who wants to run, can step up.”
Florentino was referring to Enrique Riquelme Vives, who leads Cox Energy, a Spanish solar photovoltaic company founded in 2014. The company operates offices and projects in Mexico, Chile, Panama, Colombia, and Spain. Riquelme, a 37-year-old native of Cox in Alicante, is recognized as a pioneering entrepreneur in Latin American solar energy, and his business also has a presence in Spain. He has been listed among the “100 Most Influential Latinos in Combating Climate Change.”
A sports enthusiast with interests in Formula E and golf, Riquelme is a lifelong Real Madrid fan who has attended Champions League finals in Milan, Kyiv, and Cardiff. His company also sponsors Team Rafa, the team owned by Rafael Nadal that competes in the UIM E1 World Championship, the world’s first all-electric boat racing series.
As the founder and Executive Chairman of the Cox Group, his company focuses on water and energy sectors, particularly renewable energy, desalination, water reuse, and treatment. According to the company’s corporate profile, Cox went public on the Spanish stock exchange in November 2024. On his LinkedIn page, Riquelme states, “My business activities are always linked to social responsibility and supporting talent.”
Riquelme first entered Real Madrid’s political scene in 2021, when speculation arose that he might challenge Florentino in the club’s elections. At that time, he presented himself as a member of over 20 years and expressed willingness to offer an alternative, though he ultimately did not formally run. He was one of the candidates who expressed interest that year, but Florentino ended up being re-elected unopposed. Enrique Riquelme’s father was once a member of Real Madrid’s board of directors, and Riquelme himself meets the requirement to run for club president, having been a member for over 20 years.