A presence that irritates Pérez: the old president's enemy watches the Clásico from the Camp Nou stands

What's the story?

Enrique Riquelme, the former candidate for the Real Madrid presidency, will attend tomorrow's Clásico against Barcelona at the Spotify Camp Nou. He'll take his seat in the stands alongside a group of friends to back the Whites, with current president Florentino Pérez absent from the presidential box.

Having won 35% of the vote in the Real Madrid elections last June, Riquelme is keen to follow the team on their LaLiga and Champions League travels.

Vice-president Eduardo Fernández de Blas will represent the Whites in the box, joined by José Martínez "Pirri", the former player who has served as the club's honorary president since 2023.

Pérez is sticking to the stance he took last season, when he stayed away from the presidential box at Barcelona's stadium. Real Madrid had cut ties with the Catalan club over its withdrawal from the European Super League project.

Riquelme had already turned up for the Atlético Madrid versus Real Madrid clash at the Metropolitano, watching from the VIP box. According to "Mundo Deportivo", that appearance did not go down well with Pérez.