Real Madrid have announced this 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal has joined the board of directors of the club.
Nadal is a lifelong Madrid native despite being born and raised in Mallorca.
The Spaniard retired in November 2024 after a glittering career that saw him win a total of 22 Grand Slam crowns, including his record at Roland Garros, to move second on the all-time list behind Novak Djokovic.
Alongside his tennis academy in Mallorca, Nadal is known to be keen to build his business interests and will now have a say in Real Madrid’s future.
A statement from the club was read on Wednesday: “The Board of Directors of Real Madrid CF, meeting today, Wednesday, November 4, has agreed to submit to the General Assembly of Commitment 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.
“Rafael Nadal, an honorary member of Real Madrid, is one of the greatest legends in the history of sport and one of the most admired and recognized Spanish athletes worldwide.
“For Real Madrid, it is an enormous source of pride that a figure of his sporting and human dimension, a reference in Spanish and world sport, becomes part of our Board of Directors and contributes, from this responsibility, to the present and future of our club.”
Real Madrid โ Nadal shares the values โโof the club
The statement continued: “With his extraordinary record, with 92 individual titles, including 22 Grand Slams, two Olympic gold medals, five Davis Cups with Spain and the world number one ranking, Rafael Nadal has starred in a legendary sports career. But his stature represents much more than his achievements: his spirit of permanent improvement, his capacity for sacrifice, his humility and competitiveness, his respect for his rival, his humility and capacity for sacrifice, and his commitment to solidarity make him an example on and off the court.
“All these values โโare part of Real Madrid’s identity and Rafael Nadal has represented and defended them throughout his sporting life, becoming a reference for millions of people around the world.”
Nadal was excited by the news and said: “I want to thank President Florentino Pรฉrez and the Board for proposing that I join the Board of Directors of @realmadrid. I have accepted this proposal with great enthusiasm, desire to learn and desire to contribute everything I can”.
