Rafa Nadal to join Real Madrid's board of directors

Rafa Nadal will join Real Madrid. At a meeting held this Wednesday, the club's top officials proposed the former tennis player—who has never hidden his passion for the team—to join the board of directors.

This decision will be ratified by the Assembly of Delegate Members on Nov. 21.

"The Board of Directors of Real Madrid C.F., meeting today, Wednesday, Nov. 4, has agreed to submit to the General Assembly of Delegate Members the ratification of the appointment of Rafael Nadal Parera, member number 67,778 of our club, as a new member of the Board of Directors," the club announced in a statement.

"Rafael Nadal, an honorary member of Real Madrid, is one of the greatest legends in the history of sports and one of the most admired and recognized Spanish athletes worldwide. For Real Madrid and for all Madrid fans it is a source of immense pride that a figure of his stature as an athlete and as a person—a role model in Spanish and global sports—is joining our Board of Directors and, through this role, will contribute to the present and future of our club," added Real Madrid.

"I have accepted this proposal with great enthusiasm."

Following the decision, Nadal did not hesitate to thank the club for the opportunity it has given him.

"I would like to thank President Florentino Pérez and the Board for nominating me to join the Board of Directors of Real Madrid," the former tennis player wrote in a post on X.

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"I have accepted this proposal with great enthusiasm, eager to learn and contribute as much as I can," he added, accompanying his words with two photos of himself: one as a child wearing a Real Madrid jersey and another, years later, waving from the field at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Future president of Real Madrid?

Nadal has never shied away from declaring his love for Real Madrid. Whenever he had the chance, he went to the stadium to watch the games or to discuss the club's current sporting situation on specific occasions.

For years, there have been rumors that he could end up presiding over Real Madrid in the future, even as the successor to Florentino Pérez.

His appointment to the board of directors fuels rumors about his future at Real Madrid and the possibility that, sooner or later, he will become the club's president.