Florentino Perez has secured another term as Real Madrid president, beating Enrique Riquelme to stay until 2030.
Perez beat the 37-year-old challenger Riquelme in voting at the Valdebebas training ground instead of the Bernabeu, showing how late and unplanned the elections have been.
However, despite Perez tripping over his own feet multiple times since his surprise call on May 12th, he won comfortably, but still with a far smaller margin than predicted.
Real Madrid election result
(As it stands)
Florentino Perez – 65% (21,741 votes)
Enrique Riquelme – 35% (11,814 votes)
Perez will therefore continue as Madrid president, having returned for a second stint in 2009.
Famous for his ‘Galactico’ team in the 2000s, it was his 2010s and 2020s teams that made history with seven Champions League titles under Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane.
However, since the departure of the former for Xabi Alonso last summer, things have gone downhill with a trophyless season.
Perez has also becoming increasingly a conspiracy theorist, leading to his sensational May 12th press conference where he ranted at the media for over an hour.
The 79-year-old wasn’t expecting a challenger, as evidenced by the fact that he had to put his signing of Jose Mourinho from Benfica on hold, missing out on a €3million release clause.
Riquelme was also not expecting any shot of victory, but he surprisingly closed in by keeping his face in front of the cameras day-by-day.
Big promises came from the green energy billionaire, but many were too big, with unlikely pitches of Erling Haaland and Jurgen Klopp seen as populist and undermining his credibility.
The real test was whether Riquelme could set himself up for a future challenge, something he appears to have done with what looks like over a third of the vote.
Perez’s victory speech
Speaking after his win, Perez said: “This was a great day for Real Madrid.
“We won at every polling station, meaning in every age group. And we achieved the second-best result in the history of Real Madrid elections.
“It’s an extraordinary result. It could have been even better, as almost a thousand votes were invalidated, and we will appeal because we believe we did the right thing.
“We set an example for the world of transparency and coexistence. As president of Real Madrid, I am proud of all of you.
“The members expressed themselves freely to decide the future of the club. We will continue to work, remaining proud of the Bernabéu, of one of the best teams in the world and of one of the best coaches in the world, José Mourinho.
“Make no mistake, Real Madrid will continue to belong to its members. You have shown the world what it means to be a Real Madrid fan. The best club in the world is ranked in terms of international reputation. We will continue to fight to win our 16th Champions League title.
“I would like to address the members who did not vote for me: I will listen to all your explanations and suggestions. We take your concerns very seriously. We will be much closer to our members.
“We will continue to experience magical nights at the Bernabéu. Together, we still have a lot of history to write.”
Riquelme sends warning
Conceding defeat, Riquelme promised to be back, saying: “I want to congratulate Florentino’s candidacy on its victory.
“Real Madrid will not go another 20 years without elections. We must continue to put the members at the center of everything.
“Thank you very much to everyone. I extend my hand, with all due respect, to Real Madrid and its president.”
Leave a Reply