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Florentino Perez wins Real Madrid election: Three changes coming before the World Cup
8 Jun 2026 07:59 BST |
5 min read
News
Florentino Perez has won the Real Madrid presidential election, giving the incumbent leader of the Bernabeu club a mandate to govern the club until 2030.
His victory was declared in the early hours of the morning, according to Marca, with Perez winning 65% of the votes ahead of Enrique Riquelme, the renewable energy entrepreneur, who had claimed he had an agreement with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland to sign for the club if he won the race.
This election was one of big promises. Perez claimed that he will launch a €150 million bid for an unnamed new Galactico on Tuesday.
The outcome of the vote will spark a dramatic chain reaction of events at the Bernabeu that will see dramatic changes take place in a matter of days.
Jose Mourinho takes charge
Jose Mourinho will return as Real Madrid manager thanks to Perez’s success. The return of the Portuguese had been announced prior to the election even being declared, but it can now be formalised rapidly.
Mourinho is set to take command of a fractured dressing room, with his man-management skills one of the major reasons he is coming back to the club. Last season was marked by clashes between players and coaches, with both Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa both struggling to tame a dressing room packed with egos.
Matters came to a climax when Aurelien Tchouameni hospitalised Federico Valverde towards the end of the season. Both players are set to remain at the club and Mourinho’s challenge will be having everyone pull together in the same direction.
Dumfries and Konate sign, Rudiger extends contract
Mourinho will be in charge of the club’s transfer policy and has clearly already started work on a defence that needs to be reconstructed.
France international centre-back Ibrahima Konate is set to arrive as a free agent after failing to agree terms with Liverpool, while Denzel Dumfries’ €20m release clause will be triggered to allow him to sign from Inter Milan.
Real Madrid’s rearguard has been an area in need of dramatic changes, with injuries, poor form and a lack of numbers all hampering their efforts.
On top of this, Antonio Rudiger has agreed a new contract with the team.
All these players have the hallmarks of Mourinho stalwarts in that they are battle-hardened, streetwise defenders. They will for a new core of the team next season.
Compared
Denzel Dumfries
D, M (R)
Inter
Denzel Dumfries
D, M (R)
Inter
VS
Antonio Rüdiger
D (C)
Real Madrid
Antonio Rüdiger
D (C)
Real Madrid
|
|
ETV |
|
| €19.9M - €24.3M | ETV Range | €6.9M - €9.3M |
| 30 years old (18 Apr, 1996) | Age | 33 years old (03 Mar, 1993) |
|
Netherlands
|
Nationality |
Germany
|
Record Michael Olise bid to come
Florentino Perez astounded everyone last week when he announced he plans to sign – or at least bid for – a new Galactico talent.
“I have some news to share. On Tuesday, I'm going to make a significant offer to a Champions League club for a top player. It would be the largest transfer fee Real Madrid has ever paid. It would be around €150 million. A hint? I can't give you any, I'm just hinting at what we're going to do,” he said.
“This is just a starting bid, it could go up.”
Perez promised this player is not Michael Olise, but it was later revealed by Fabrizio Romano that this was simply misdirection; the Real Madrid president loves the Bayern Munich winger and wants him to return.
Now Los Blancos will launch a pre-World Cup bid for the former Crystal Palace man.
Even before this arrives, the outcome of the offer seems inevitable.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer told BILD: “Michael Olise is a Bayern Munich player and he is on a long-term contract. We are not a selling club.
“If Florentino Perez wishes to make us an offer – which has not been the case so far – he can save himself the trouble, not even for €150m or more.”
Real Madrid might already know the answer, but it’s not going to stop them from trying. Perez owes it to those socios who elected him to the role on the back of this promise.
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