Enrique Riquelme appeared this Saturday in Valdebebas, where the headquarters of the Real Madrid electoral board is located, to submit all the necessary documentation to formalize his candidacy for the presidency of the white entity. This was the last step, and the most costly, to meet the requirements written in the statutes, tightened since Florentino Pérez’s arrival at the presidency two decades ago, coincidentally when the last elections were held.

Earthquake at the Palau. If the first and glorious stage of Xavi Pascual (Gavà, 1972) at Barça lasted eight years, the second will barely reach eight months. The coach made the decision this Sunday to leave the club at the end of the current season, fed up with the lack of demand he detects in the entity and the numerous unfulfilled promises by the section leaders and the board. His destination will be the Middle East, specifically an exciting project like Dubai Basketball, already established as one of the teams in the EuroLeague, which guarantees him the financial muscle necessary to tackle more ambitious goals than those currently managed by the team of his heart.

Rodri Hernández (Madrid, 1996) faces his arrival at Barça as a change of cycle and, at the same time, as a new challenge in his career. After conquering everything with Manchester City and winning the World Cup with Spain, the midfielder chose Barcelona convinced by a sporting project that, he assures, has “the makings to be one of the best clubs in the world.” At 30 years old, he arrives at the blaugrana locker room with a clear objective: to improve, help his teammates, win again, and pursue a Champions League that the club has not lifted in 11 years. This is a preview of the midfielder’s interview with La Vanguardia.