Real Madrid board member Enrique Riquelme has sparked debate after warning that the club may be relying too heavily on extraordinary revenue streams to offset significant annual financial losses.
Speaking about the club’s current financial situation, Riquelme claimed that Real Madrid is losing around €80 million per year, with the deficit being covered through “exceptional transactions” such as VIP seat sales and other one-off revenue sources.
“Right now, Real Madrid is losing around €80M per year, and that shortfall is being offset through extraordinary revenue streams, such as the sale of VIP seats, one-off sales, exceptional transactions — every season there’s something,” he said.
Riquelme also compared the situation to the financial “levers” previously used by FC Barcelona, although he insisted the two clubs are not in the same position financially.
“We criticize Barcelona for using financial levers, but these are also levers. Of course, the situations are different, and we’re far stronger than Barcelona, but there’s still a risk,” he added.
The businessman further warned that consistent success in the UEFA Champions League remains crucial to the club’s financial stability, stressing that failure to regularly reach the quarter-finals could have serious consequences.
“If we stop reaching the UCL quarter-finals every season, the financial impact becomes much more serious,” Riquelme stated.
