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Real Madrid have appointed tennis legend Rafael Nadal as a new member of their board of directors, alongside the club’s board.
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The Spanish giants described Nadal as one of the greatest sporting legends and most admired athletes in the world, praising his exceptional career, humility, and competitive spirit
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The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who is a lifelong Real Madrid supporter, expressed his excitement after accepting the offer
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Nadal retired from professional tennis in 2024 after an illustrious career spanning several decades, winning 92 ATP Tour singles titles and 22 Grand Slam crowns.
November 04, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid have appointed tennis legend Rafael Nadal to the club’s board of directors, the Spanish club announced on Wednesday.
The club’s board, led by Florentino Pérez, met on Wednesday and agreed to submit to the general assembly of delegate members ratification of Nadal’s appointment as a new member of the board.
Real Madrid’s socios members are expected to ratify Nadal’s appointment at the club’s general assembly on November 21.
The club confirmed Nadal’s appointment in a statement on its website, while also showering encomiums on the Tennis legend.
The statement read: “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 recognised Spanish athletes in the world.
“For Real Madrid and for all Madrid fans, it is a great source of pride that a figure of his sporting and human stature, a benchmark of Spanish and world sport, will become part of our Board of Directors and contribute, from this position of responsibility, to the present and future of our club.
“Rafael Nadal has forged a legendary sporting career. But his figure represents much more than his successes: his talent, his constant drive to improve, his capacity for sacrifice, his competitiveness, his humility, his respect for rivals and teammates, and his commitment to solidarity make him an example both on and off the court.
“All these values are part of Real Madrid’s identity, and Rafael Nadal has represented and defended them throughout his sporting life, becoming a role model for millions of people around the world.”
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Nadal is a lifelong Real Madrid fan and he expressed his delight at the opportunity to serve in a post on social media on Wednesday.
He published a photo of himself as a child wearing a Real Madrid kit on his X account.
Nadal wrote: “I want to thank President Florentino Perez and the board who proposed me to be part of the board of directors at Real Madrid,” Nadal wrote in the caption.
“I accepted this proposal with great excitement, a desire to learn and contribute everything I can.”
Nadal retired from Tennis in 2024.
He won 92 ATP Tour singles titles, with 22 major titles, including a record 14 French Open titles as well as 36 Masters titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Nadal is one of three men to complete the career Golden Slam in singles.
His 81 consecutive wins on clay constitute the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era.
He won major singles titles in 10 consecutive years from 2005 to 2014, and again in four years from 2017 to 2020.
He also won 11 doubles titles during his career, including an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
