Rafael Nadal is officially Real Madrid material. The club announced Wednesday that the retired tennis superstar has been appointed to its board of directors, bringing one of Spanish sport's greatest figures into the governing structure of one of the world's biggest soccer clubs.

The board met Wednesday and agreed to put Nadal's appointment to the club's general assembly of delegate members for ratification, a procedural step before it is fully confirmed.

Nadal made his gratitude clear. "I want to thank president Florentino Perez and the board for proposing that..." he said, per Yahoo Sports' report on the announcement.

The move is less surprising than it might sound. Nadal's lifelong support of Real Madrid is well documented, and the club has a history of bringing decorated Spanish sporting figures into its orbit. What's new is the formality: the 22-time Grand Slam champion now holds an actual seat at the table under Perez, trading center court for the boardroom at the Bernabeu.