Florentino Perez Denies Rumors About Moroccan-French Anas Laghrari

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has firmly denied rumors that Franco-Moroccan businessman Anas Laghrari is preparing to succeed him as head of the Spanish club.

Speaking during the ongoing presidential campaign at Real Madrid, Pérez dismissed the speculation directly and insisted Laghrari has no plans to run for the position.

“They say Anas Laghrari wants to become president, but that’s false. He hasn’t even been a socio long enough to be able to run. Anas simply helps us,” Pérez said.

In recent months, Laghrari’s name has increasingly appeared around Real Madrid because of his close relationship with Pérez and his influence behind the scenes at the club.

Often described as Pérez’s “right-hand man“ or “man behind the scenes,“ Laghrari is a financial mathematics expert and partner at Key Capital. A longtime friend of the Pérez family since childhood in Casablanca, he has played an important role mainly in the club’s economic and strategic projects rather than sporting decisions.

He has especially been linked to Real Madrid’s business planning and the European Super League project, where he worked closely with Pérez.

Despite the growing speculation, several institutional obstacles would prevent Laghrari from becoming Real Madrid president under the club’s current rules.

One of the main requirements is that any candidate must have been an official Real Madrid socio continuously for at least 20 years. Pérez himself pointed out that Laghrari does not come close to meeting that condition.

There is also another important rule: the club’s statutes currently require the president to hold Spanish nationality. Since Laghrari is Franco-Moroccan, he is not eligible under the existing regulations.

The rumors surfaced during a tense election period at Real Madrid, with businessman Enrique Riquelme emerging as a challenger to Pérez for the upcoming presidential vote scheduled for June 7.

At 79 years old, Pérez remains the most successful president in Real Madrid history, overseeing one of the club’s most dominant eras both financially and on the pitch.