Enrique Riquelme, the 35-year-old Alicante businessman who chairs Cox Energy, has returned to the public scene following Florentino Pérez's challenge in the press conference where he called elections at Real Madrid. Pérez dared the executive, who resides in Mexico and sports a Mexican accent, to present his candidacy. According to sources close to him, Riquelme is already negotiating with Citi and Goldman Sachs for the 187 million euros needed for the guarantees, 15% of the club's budget.
The financial engineering behind the 187 million 💰
To raise 15% of Real Madrid's budget, Riquelme turns to investment banks like Citi and Goldman Sachs. The operation consists of a syndicated credit line that covers the guarantee required by the electoral board. Cox Energy, listed on the stock exchange, contributes its balance sheet as collateral. This mechanism allows the candidate to avoid disbursing his own cash, using the borrowing capacity of his business group. The financial structure is similar to that used by other candidates in 2006.
From solar power to the Bernabéu box ⚡
Riquelme, who went from selling solar panels to chairing an energy company, now dreams of swapping solar panels for the floodlights of the Bernabéu. His Mexican accent, the result of years in the Aztec country, gives him away when he talks about tiki-taka. The funny thing is that, to guarantee his candidacy, he needs more zeros than those on a stadium's electricity bill. If he fails, at least he can say he tried to light up the club.