Nadal joins Real Madrid board after Perez proposal

Real Madrid have appointed Rafael Nadal to the club's board of directors, Sky Sports Football reported.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner accepted a formal proposal from president Florentino Perez to take up the position, according to Yahoo Sports.

A club statement said the Board of Directors, meeting on Wednesday, November 4, had agreed to submit the appointment of Rafael Nadal Parera, listed as member number 67,778 of the club, to the General Assembly of Delegate Members for ratification, Tennis365 reported.

The statement described Nadal, an honorary member of Real Madrid, as one of the greatest legends in sports history and among the most admired and recognised Spanish athletes in the world.

It went on to list his achievements, citing 92 individual titles, including 22 Grand Slams, two Olympic gold medals, five Davis Cups with Spain, and the number one spot in the world rankings.

The club said his appointment represented an immense honour, describing him as a figure of such sporting and human stature that he would now contribute from the board to the present and future of the club.

Real Madrid also framed the move as going beyond sporting pedigree, pointing to his drive for improvement, his capacity for sacrifice, his competitiveness, his humility and his respect for rivals and teammates as qualities that made him an example on and off the court.

The club said those traits were part of Real Madrid's identity and that Nadal had represented and upheld them throughout his career, becoming a role model for millions of people around the world.

Nadal marked the announcement on social media with a nostalgic photograph of himself as a toddler wearing a full Real Madrid kit, Yahoo Sports reported.

Writing on Instagram, the former world number one said: "I would like to thank President Florentino Perez and the Board for inviting me to join the Board of Directors of @realmadrid. I have accepted this invitation with great enthusiasm, keen to learn and contribute as much as I can."

The appointment follows months of speculation over what role Nadal might eventually play at the club he has long supported publicly.

Tennis365 noted that Nadal had earlier been linked with a possible run for the Real Madrid presidency, a prospect he denied pursuing as he considered his next steps following his retirement from tennis.

Instead, he has been brought directly into the club's decision-making structure at boardroom level, under the presidency of Florentino Perez.

The formal appointment still requires ratification by Real Madrid's General Assembly of Delegate Members, as set out in the club's statement.