Main sponsors

Riyadh Air Nike

Atlético de Madrid Escudo Atlético de Madrid

The Riyadh Air Metropolitano hosts The Forum

Our Chairman, Enrique Cerezo, welcomed viewers to THE FORUM, a meeting driven by Atlético de Madrid and Apollo Sports Capital, which brought together global business leaders from the worlds of sport, leisure and entertainment under the concept of “Leaders Inspiring the World”.
Enrique Cerezo underlined the event’s importance as a meeting point for professionals to analyse and debate the future of sport and entertainment.
Our CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil, noted that the football industry has evolved and, now, goes far beyond match events, thereby highlighting the experiences that the future “Ciudad del Deporte” will offer.
“Atlético de Madrid has, for a long time now, worked hard so that football can be much more than the 90 minutes. We’re doing just that. At this stadium, in 2025 alone, we have carried out 250 corporate events of between 300 and 5,000 people, 23 music events of 60,000 people, 24 football games of around 70,000 people… In total, 3.5 million people have visited us,” our CEO stated.
José Luis Martínez-Almeida, mayor of Madrid, was one of the many notable faces at the event.
Participating in the first panel were Rob Givone, CCO of Apollo Sports Capital, Antoine Bonnier, CEO of Quantum Pacific, and Ben Enowiz, CFO of MARI Group.
Robert Givone, advisor to the Club, during his speech.
Atleti midfielder Pablo Barrios spoke alongside Camilo Andrade, Nike’s VP/GM Global Football, in a panel moderated by Óscar Mayo, titled “Giving life to the Football of the Future.” The player affirmed that “it is a source of pride that children want to look up to us and be like us in the future.”
Guillem Balagué spoke with Nasser Al-Khelaïfi regarding various current issues in international football. The PSG President discussed, among other topics, UC3, the joint venture created in 2025 by the EFC and UEFA: "We created the joint venture and reached a fair agreement between both parties. We are building something bigger for the clubs."
Our advisor and former player, David Villa, mentioned the importance of the environment surrounding a footballer. “Everything happens so quickly, and when you’re playing, you don’t really notice it. So, it’s really important to surround yourself with good people, because success often clouds the mind.”
Another club legend and academy product, Fernando Torres, reflected alongside Jeff Sharma (VP Brand, EA SPORTS FC) on fan passion and young people dreaming of becoming professionals. "You have to let young people make mistakes. You have to let them express themselves and try what they want to do. It’s part of the process. Respect, commitment, and passion are the three main pillars," said the current Atlético Madrileño coach.
Sonia Bermúdez, selector for the Spain women’s national team and legend of the Club, took part in a panel about elite players, alongside David Villa, Luis Figo, and Jorge Mendes.
Other panels discussed global sporting brands and properties, as well as the world of entertainment. On them were Adam Boukadida (Riyadh Air), Maëva Haguma (Visit Rwanda), Cristina Pitarch (Google), Jorge Garbajosa (FIBA), Carmelo Ezpeleta (MotoGP), Boris Gartner (RELEVENT), Chris Granger (Oak View Group) and Jordan Zachary (LIVE NATION).
Rafael Louzán discussed World Cup 2030, which Spain, along with other nations, will host. “We’re working hard on an event which will project us to the world, and it’s not an opportunity we can afford to miss.”
Chris Granger (Oak View Group) and Jordan Zachary (LIVE NATION).
Alberto Rodríguez-Toquero (CEO, Mahou San Miguel), Francisco Hein (Co-founder, Fever), and Maite Gómez Fraile (VP Officer, Cabify).
Maëva Haguma (Visit Rwanda), during his speech.
Javier Tebas, LaLiga president, and Rafaul Louzán, president of the Real Federación Española de Fútbol, took part in a panel about the global impact of Spanish institutions and businesses.
The event concluded with two exclusive talks featuring Nasser Al-Khelaïfi (President of European Football Clubs - EFC - and Paris Saint-Germain) and Aleksander Čeferin (President of UEFA).
Finally, Vicente Vallés conducted an engaging conversation with Aleksander Čeferin, which served as the grand finale for THE FORUM. "We all live in the same ecosystem. Miguel Ángel and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi are very positive. We have to understand that we all have the same goal: we want football to flourish and improve," the UEFA President concluded to bring the event to a close.

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