Nadal set to join Real Madrid board of directors

Tennis great Rafael Nadal is set to join the board of Spanish football giants Real Madrid.

Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and helped Spain claim five Davis Cups before retiring in 2024.

Real's members will be asked to approve the 40-year-old's appointment to the board at a meeting later this month.

In a statement announcing the move, external, the club said Nadal was "one of the greatest legends in the history of sport and one of the most admired and recognised Spanish athletes in the world".

"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," Real added.

The tennis legend - a boyhood Real fan who holds member's number 67,778 - included a photo of himself as a child in a club kit in his response to the news.

"I want to thank president Florentino Perez and the board for proposing that I join the board of directors of Real Madrid," Nadal said in his post on X, external.

"I have accepted this proposal with great excitement, a desire to learn, and a willingness to contribute everything I can."

It is currently unclear as to what responsibilities Nadal would hold on the club's board.

Perez was re-elected to serve a new four-year term as Real president in June, having held the office since 2009.

He swiftly appointed Jose Mourinho to a second spell as head coach, hoping to improve the club's fortunes after they went a second season without a trophy in La Liga, the Champions League or the Copa del Rey.

Real are currently third in the league after 11 games - three points behind defending champions Barcelona.