Perez wins Real Madrid vote to extend reign after rare election challenge

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Mon, 08 Jun 2026 - 08:59 GMT

BY

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 - 08:59 GMT

MADRID, June 8 (Reuters) - Florentino Perez survived Real Madrid's first genuine presidential contest in two decades ​in the early hours of Monday, securing four more years at the helm but with more than a third ‌of voting members backing a challenger who attacked his ownership plans.
 
The 79-year-old Spanish construction magnate was acclaimed as the winner by Real Madrid TV, while his rival, renewable energy tycoon Enrique Riquelme, conceded defeat a little over one hour ahead of the official tally.
 
Perez won 65% of the vote, the club's official count showed, ​while Riquelme took 35% of a total of 33,555 members who voted at Real's Valdebebas training ground on the outskirts ​of Madrid on Sunday.
 
"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 called the election on May 12 despite having two years left on his ​mandate, after a second straight season without silverware for the record 15-times European champions and with arch-rivals Barcelona retaining their LaLiga title.
 
He declared ​the result "extraordinary" in a victory speech at a hotel in the Spanish capital and said Real had "set an example to the world of transparency and harmony".
 
 
"This has been a great day for Real Madrid. 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.
 
Perez first became Real president in 2000 and had renewed his mandate five ​times since 2009 by running unopposed. The club had not held a formal presidential vote since 2006, when Ramon Calderon won by a narrow margin.
 
In the ‌build-up to ⁠Sunday's vote, Perez promised to appoint Benfica manager Jose Mourinho and said he would spend 150 million euros on an unnamed player to be revealed on Tuesday, a fee that would represent a club record.
 
He also said defenders Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries would be his first signings if elected.
 
Benfica acknowledged Perez's interest in Mourinho in a statement to Portugal's CMVM market regulator, saying any move to appoint the Portuguese coach ​would require payment of 15 million ​euros to terminate his contract.
 
 
Riquelme ⁠had tried to unseat Perez with pledges to sign Manchester City pair Erling Haaland andRodri, while pitching himself as the candidate who would bring members closer to a club he said had drifted away ​from them.
 
He promised to turn Valdebebas into a social hub featuring a hotel, swimming pools, a ​gym and a 15,000-capacity ⁠arena for Real Madrid's basketball team that could also host concerts.
 
His campaign also targeted Perez's proposal, raised last November, to create a subsidiary that would allow outside investors to buy a stake of around 5% in the club. Riquelme said he "vehemently rejects" the plan and accused Perez of wanting ⁠to "privatise the ​club".
 
Perez has said Real's member-owned model would remain intact and that membership would have "a ​real and tangible value". Any change to the club's statutes would require approval at an extraordinary general meeting.
 
Real posted 2024-25 revenue of 1.19 billion euros and are valued ​by Forbes at $6.75 billion, the highest in world football.
 
 

 

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