Manchester City Considers Legal Action Over Haaland Shirt Incident

Manchester City are weighing up legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate publicly paraded an Erling Haaland shirt and vowed to take the striker to the Bernabeu.

Enrique Riquelme, a 37-year-old renewable energy tycoon bidding to unseat Florentino Perez, appeared on Spanish television on Wednesday holding up a Madrid jersey emblazoned with Haaland’s name. He then made a spectacular promise.

“He has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid. If I become president, he will play for Real Madrid,” Riquelme said.

The response from Haaland’s camp and from City was immediate – and furious.

A joint statement from Haaland’s father and agent flatly rejected the claim, before City moved to shut the story down.

“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” the statement read. “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.”

In other words, City believe a presidential campaign has used one of their star assets as a prop.

Riquelme did not stop at Haaland. He also pledged to prise Rodri away from the Etihad, openly setting his sights on the midfielder who has become the metronome of Pep Guardiola’s side.

“He is a great player, in a position where Madrid need to strengthen,” Riquelme said. “We have spoken to his agent. We have to respect his club, but if I'm president he will play for Madrid. I will do everything possible.”

It is the kind of rhetoric that electrifies a fanbase and enrages clubs on the other side of the negotiating table.

A rare challenge to Perez

Riquelme’s bold transfer talk drops into a combustible political moment at Real Madrid. For the first time in 20 years, Perez is not running unopposed. The vote on Sunday, 7 June, will be decided by just under 100,000 eligible club members.

Perez himself called the election, seeking a renewed mandate after two seasons without a major trophy and rising discontent in the stands at the Santiago Bernabeu. He remains the clear favourite, but the fact he faces a serious challenger at all marks a shift.

Riquelme has built his campaign on grand promises and giveaways. He has pledged to build a “members’ city” for fans around the club’s training base, turning the area into a hub for socios. He has also vowed to cut annual membership fees by up to 50% if Madrid fail to win the Champions League next season.

The message is simple: if results dip, members pay less.

Mourinho vs Klopp at the heart of the battle

The fight for the presidency is not just about players. It is also about who stands on the touchline.

Perez has moved to bring Jose Mourinho back to Madrid, but that appointment can only be formally confirmed if he wins the election. The Portuguese coach, a divisive figure from his first spell at the club, has become a symbol of Perez’s vision for the next era.

Riquelme wants a different face and a different style. He and his campaign team have repeatedly hinted that Jurgen Klopp is their preferred candidate for the job once the German returns to management.

When asked about Klopp in an interview with The Athletic last month, Riquelme did not hide his admiration.

“Naturally, I would love for profiles of that calibre, and others like them, to coach this club,” he said.

So the choice in front of Madrid’s members is stark: Mourinho under Perez, or the prospect of Klopp under Riquelme. Two very different futures, wrapped inside one ballot.

Legal lines and election lines

For City, the immediate concern is not Spanish politics but the use of their players in it. The club’s threat of legal action underlines how seriously they view Riquelme’s decision to brandish a Haaland shirt and speak publicly about Rodri.

For Madrid, the weekend will decide whether those promises were the opening shots of a new regime or just noise on the campaign trail.

On Sunday night, the members will decide whose vision they trust – and which of these bold declarations ever comes close to being tested in the transfer market.