Real Madrid presidential election: Why it's happening, who's running and what's been promised?

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Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

For the first time in two decades, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will face competition for the presidency at Santiago Bernabeu.

Over two spells as president, Perez has overseen unprecedented success with multiple Champions League victories, while the Galactico transfer strategy has paid dividends with some of the best and most famous players in history pulling on the famous white jersey under his tenure.

However, the wheels are beginning to fall off and Madrid are coming off their second straight season without winning La Liga, the Champions League or the Copa del Rey.

Star players like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni are at war behind the scenes and there's an overall toxic atmosphere surrounding the club.

Perez attempted to alleviate some of that toxicity with an impromptu press conference recently in which he mostly blamed Barcelona and referees for Madrid's recent failures. It was an attempt to create a siege mentality but only served to add to the toxicity and his position is now under question.

That has led to the emergence of Madrid businessman Enrique Riquelme who will stand against Perez in the presidential elections. Over the last 20 years, Perez has stood unopposed at every election period.

Why is the election being called early?

So far this century, Real Madrid have endured just five trophyless campaigns in 2004/05, 2005/06, 2009/10, 2020/21 and now in 2025/26. They surrendered La Liga to Barcelona in the Clasico (which has never happened before), were eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Bayern Munich and were on the wrong side of one of the shocks of the season as they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Segunda Division outfit Albacete.

The poor performances on the field have been matched by the typical Galactico drama off it, though, as the aforementioned infighting has torn the dressing room apart.

With plenty of internal turmoil to contend with, Perez has strategically called an early election as a show of strength as he does not believe there is anyone out there who can challenge him and earn enough votes from Madrid's 95,000 registered members to defeat him.

He also appears to be trying to reset the narrative around his presidency. In his press conference, Perez argued that critics were taking advantage of poor results to attack him personally, and he linked the election to defending the interests of Real Madrid’s members rather than any one owner.

The siege mentality was laid out, as Perez blamed Barcelona and referees for the club's failures during his tenure.

Who is Enrique Riquelme?

Enrique Riquelme Vives is a Spanish businessman and the founder and chairman of Cox Energy, a renewable-energy company focused on solar power. He was born in Cox, Alicante, in 1989, and built his career through family businesses before founding his own company in 2014.

Any person standing for the Madrid presidency needs to meet certain criteria and that includes being a Spanish citizen, having a 20-year + membership with the club and certain financial backing.

They must put up a personal financial guarantee equal to 15% of the club’s annual budget. With Real Madrid’s budget now above €1 billion, that means the candidates would need to secure roughly €185 million in total.

Riquelme's campaign slogan is “legacy and future".

What has Perez promised?

Perez's campaign slogan is “much more history to make” as he references the enormous success the club has enjoyed under his two spells as president, which includes seven Champions League victories.

The wheels are already in motion for Jose Mourinho to make a shock return to Real Madrid, 13 years after being sacked by Perez. This has been reported by many outlets as a done deal, but the election has delayed any official announcement as Riquelme may have other ideas, as you'll see below.

It looks like a deal for Denzel Dumfries will be completed, while Antonio Rudiger is on the cusp of signing a new contract.

Perez has also been gushing about the talents of Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz and it seems inevitable Los Blancos will activate their buy-back clause to bring him back to the Spanish capital.

Most recently, he announced that the club will make a record-breaking €150 million bid for a mystery player next week - should he gain re-election.

Perez told ‘Horizonte’ (via Marca): “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.

“[Michael] Olise is a great player, but he's not Olise. He's not [Jeremy] Doku either … We're going to make a significant offer, at least €150m. Ideally, he'd be a midfielder or forward. And he's not Erling Haaland. And he's not from the Premier League. And the first thing we'll do is talk to the club. It's a signing meant to generate excitement, because that's what it's all about, generating excitement.”

What has Riquelme promised?

Riquelme, in an attempt to win over the hearts of voters, has been brazen with his promises and has vowed to bring Haaland to the Santiago Bernabeu if elected.

That promise has blown up in his face, though, as Manchester City have threatened legal action after the presidential candidate unveiled a Madrid kit with Haaland's name on the back at an event in the city.

"I have signed two major international stars," he said in an interview with ABC.

"There are signings already secured. I have signed two major international stars for Real Madrid. Two players, and we are working on the coach side.

"There is an agreement that if I am president of Real Madrid, there are two major international stars who will play for Real Madrid and they are necessary for Real Madrid's short-, medium-, and long-term sporting project."

Crucially, it doesn't look like Riquelme wants Mourinho in charge and would rather someone like Jurgen Klopp.

He believes the club needs a coach who is "not a short-term stopgap for the current situation"

"I think Klopp is brilliant. I said that back in 2021," the Spaniard explained.

"He's a good manager and a good coach, but there are other coaches I like as well, not just Klopp. Besides, Klopp is currently working for Red Bull. We'll see what happens in the next few days, but of course he's a candidate I'd very much like to see as Real Madrid's manager sooner or later.

"Real Madrid cannot afford to spend two seasons without a clear vision. When I say the best must come in, I mean the best - in every role."

Riquelme was hugely critical of Perez's decision to sack Xabi Alonso as head coach this season.

When are Real Madrid’s elections?

Voting takes place on June 7, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. CEST at the Basketball Pavilion of Ciudad Real Madrid, the club’s Valdebebas training complex.

Written by

Martin Macdonald | Writer

Martin Macdonald. a Content Writer for FootballTransfers and FootballTransfers USA, as well as the Business Operations Manager for RealTimes Network, has worked in football reporting for over 15 years, starting at GOAL and Perform Media before moving to RealTimes. He was formerly the Chief Editor of MovieMeter.com and has also written for FightFans, GPFans and MSN.

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