LaLiga: Real Madrid President backs Rafael Nadal to be his successor

Tennis World Number one, Rafael Nadal, recently suffered a difficult ouster at the hands of Juan Martin Del Porto in the semi-final of the US Open, who then went on to lose the final to Novak Djokovic who lifted 14th Grand Slam Trophy in his career.

The Spaniard, Nadal, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport of all time and his rivalry with Roger Federer has been the centre-point of much debate, much like the case with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The 11-time French Open Champion has long been a fervent supporter of Los Blancos and also has an honorary membership at the club and enjoys a close personal relationship with the players as well as the highest officials in the club.

While Rafael Nadal remains focused on tennis, club president Perez thinks he would be a ‘magnificent’ choice to succeed him in the role.

Perez told Spanish newspaper El Confidencial:

“Nadal would be a magnificent choice for the presidency of Real Madrid. (Nadal) is one of the best ambassadors of Real Madrid in the world.”

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Nadal opened the door to the Real Madrid presidency when speaking to AS last year:

“You never know what will happen,” the 18-time Grand Slam winner said. Everybody knows that I love football and that Real Madrid is my team. Talking about that now is a bit of a utopia but if you ask me, of course, I would like to be president. In any case, we're doing just fine as we are, we have a great president and I don't think Real Madrid need me for anything.”

The rules of presidency state that one has to be a member of the club for at least 20 years, which means that the current ATP World No. 1 can't take over the role before 2031. By the time Nadal becomes eligible for the role, he would be 45 which looks like an ideal age for such a huge responsibility.