08 June,2026 05:09 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Florentino Perez (Pic: AFP)
Real Madrid stalwart Florentino Perez has clinched another four-year tenure as the president of the club, successfully navigating the club's first genuine electoral challenge in almost twenty years. Despite intensifying discussions about the club's future trajectory, voting members firmly backed the long-serving administrator.
The 79-year-old captured 65 per cent of the ballots during Sunday's vote at Real Madrid's Valdebebas training ground, comfortably defeating corporate executive Enrique Riquelme, who gained 35 per cent of the votes.
A total of 33,555 club members participated in the process, which marked Real Madrid's first contested presidential election since 2006. Riquelme conceded defeat shortly before the final numbers were formally verified.
"I would like to congratulate Florentino Perez's campaign on its victory. Real Madrid will not go another 20 years without an election," Riquelme told reporters.
Perez chose to call an early election despite having two full years left in his term. The decision followed a second straight campaign where the senior team failed to secure any major silverware, while arch-rivals Barcelona successfully defended their LaLiga title.
In his post-victory address to the Madridistas, Perez framed the election data as a massive vote of confidence in his ongoing management.
"This has been a great day for Real Madrid football club. We have won across the board, that is to say, across all age groups. And we have achieved the second-best result in the history of Real Madrid elections," Perez said.
During the election campaign, Perez committed to bringing in Benfica boss Jose Mourinho as the new manager and revealed a plan to invest 150 million euros into a marquee player signing, with specific announcements expected soon.
Similarly, Riquelme attempted to capture votes by promising sensational moves for Manchester City duo Erling Haaland and Rodri. He further promised to try to sign former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for the manager job at Real Madrid.
Real Madrid continues to stand as an economic juggernaut in global sport, posting a staggering revenue of 1.19 billion euros across the 2024-25 fiscal year. Forbes recently evaluated the club's total worth at 6.75 billion dollars, maintaining its position as the most valuable football franchise on earth.
(With ANI inputs)
