King of Clay and tennis great Rafael Nadal will join the board of directors of Real Madrid Football Club in a shock move. Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and helped Spain claim five Davis Cup crowns before retiring in 2024, is set to pursue a leadership role in a sport beyond tennis. Real Madrid board members will be asked to approve Nadal’s appointment at a meeting later this month. &nbsp;In a public statement, Real Madrid labelled Nadal as "one of the greatest legends in the history of sport and one of the most admired and recognised Spanish athletes in the world".&nbsp;Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/david-james-backs-manchester-city-to-beat-arsenal-premier-league-title-race-1793806494690">David James backs Manchester City to outclass 'favourites' Arsenal in Premier League title race</a> &nbsp;"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. &nbsp;Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Nadal—a lifelong Real Madrid fan who holds member number 67,778—shared a photo of himself in a club kit in response to the news. &nbsp;"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. “I have accepted this proposal with great excitement, a desire to learn, and a willingness to contribute everything I can."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Quiero agradecer al presidente Florentino Pérez y a la Junta que me hayan propuesto formar parte de la Junta Directiva del @realmadrid. 

He aceptado esta propuesta con mucha ilusión, ganas de aprender y aportar todo lo que pueda.

🤍🤍🤍 https://t.co/cFBQnUVW6j&mdash; Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) <a href="https://x.com/RafaelNadal/status/2117950318784995834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

However, it remains unclear what responsibilities Nadal would hold on the club's board. &nbsp;Meanwhile, Perez was re-elected to serve a new four-year term as Real president in June, having held the office since 2009. Soon after, he reappointed 'The Special One’ 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. &nbsp;Real Madrid are currently third in the league after 11 games - three points behind defending champions Barcelona.

Tennis icon Rafael Nadal joins Real Madrid's Board of Directors. Read how the 22-time Grand Slam legend accepted Florentino Perez's proposal. 

King of Clay and tennis great Rafael Nadal will join the board of directors of Real Madrid Football Club in a shock move. Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and helped Spain claim five Davis Cup crowns before retiring in 2024, is set to pursue a leadership role in a sport beyond tennis. Real Madrid board members will be asked to approve Nadal’s appointment at a meeting later this month. In a public statement, Real Madrid labelled Nadal as "one of the greatest legends in the history of sport and one of the most admired and recognised Spanish athletes in the world". Also read| David James backs Manchester City to outclass 'favourites' Arsenal in Premier League title race "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. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Nadal—a lifelong Real Madrid fan who holds member number 67,778—shared a photo of himself in a club kit in 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. “I have accepted this proposal with great excitement, a desire to learn, and a willingness to contribute everything I can."

Tennis icon Rafael Nadal joins Real Madrid's Board of Directors. Read how the 22-time Grand Slam legend accepted Florentino Perez's proposal.&nbsp;

Tennis icon Rafael Nadal to join Real Madrid board of directors in shock move

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Tennis icon Rafael Nadal to join Real Madrid board of directors in shock move