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Erling Haaland's camp and Manchester City have both strongly refuted claims made by Real Madrid presidential hopeful Enrique Riquelme that the Norwegian forward will move to the Spanish club this summer, with the possibility of legal proceedings even being raised.
This was far from the response Riquelme had been counting on, yet it's one he arguably should have seen coming.
There is a well-established tradition of using high-profile player names during Madrid presidential campaigns. Luís Figo was famously leveraged by Florentino Pérez, the current president now facing Riquelme, back in 2000. Much like Haaland today, Figo publicly dismissed suggestions that he had agreed to join Real Madrid if Pérez were to win.
Nevertheless, supporters believed Pérez enough to cast their votes for him—rather than Lorenzo Sanz, who had just overseen two Champions League triumphs within three years. That same summer, Figo departed Barcelona to become a Real Madrid player.
Could history find a way to repeat itself a quarter of a century on?
What Erling Haaland Promise Has Riquelme Made to Real Madrid?
[EXCLUSIVA] El FICHAJE ESTRELLA de Enrique Riquelme #RiquelmeEH pic.twitter.com/XziduVyN68
During a widely anticipated appearance on the beloved Spanish talk show, El Hormiguero, Riquelme laid out his vision. Club icon Raúl González would be his managerial pick, Rodri would be brought in and his Manchester City teammate Haaland would follow shortly after.
A key element of Riquelme's announcement was the penalty he voluntarily put on the table. Much like Pérez did when he presented Figo, this year's challenger pledged to personally cover the membership fees of every Real Madrid supporter out of his own funds if elected and unable to deliver his promised signings. That would cost him roughly $23.3 million (€20 million).
Haaland's Cutting Response to Riquelme
Just hours after Riquelme dropped the Haaland bombshell to the two oversized ant puppets circling his desk on El Hormiguero, the Manchester City striker's representatives fired back at the claims.
"All very entertaining but not true," a statement from Haaland's father, Alfie, and agent, Rafaela Pimenta, read, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano. "We wish all the best for both candidates in the Real Madrid elections."
Haaland is well known to hold a contract at Manchester City running through to 2034. Riquelme also alleged that a clause existed within that agreement which would give Real Madrid an opportunity to act—something the presidential candidate claimed had been discussed with Haaland's representatives. City were swift to shoot those reports down.
Man City Threaten Legal Action
"The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are false," a Manchester City statement declared, per Fabrizio Romano. "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."
The distinction between Pérez's Figo pledge and Riquelme's Haaland declaration is that the latter never referenced any signed agreements. While Pérez managed to persuade Figo's representatives to legally bind their client's future to the presidential candidate—in the overconfident assumption he would never actually win—Haaland's team have avoided falling into the same trap.
Florentino Perez Blasts Riquelme
Pérez kicked off his campaign by airing his conspiracy theories to the global media, yet the 79-year-old has now been cast as the measured candidate in contrast to Riquelme's outlandish pledges. Sensing an opening, the incumbent president moved in for the kill.
"Agents are calling me and saying that Riquelme talks to players and tells them, 'Don't say no.' I don't believe a word he says," Pérez scoffed to El Español. "One of the signings he mentioned was Rodri, but obviously, it's not a done deal."
"Everything Riquelme says is like the TV show Everything is a Lie," Pérez added. "He says he's coming to save Real Madrid and then he has to take out a loan at 54% interest for his company."
What Next for Riquelme, Perez, Haaland?
Riquelme hasn't merely shown his hand—he's announced to the entire table that he's holding a royal flush. Now it falls to Real Madrid's voting members to determine whether he's bluffing.
Just as in the Figo situation, club members could test Riquelme's conviction by voting him into office and securing the win-win outcome of either landing Haaland or having their membership fees covered.
In all probability, however, Pérez is widely expected to cruise to yet another election victory and follow through on his pledge to appoint José Mourinho while also pursuing the far more realistic transfer targets of Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries.