Florentino Pérez will remain in charge of Real Madrid for another four years. The 79-year-old leader won the elections held this Sunday (7) and secured a new mandate at the head of the Spanish clubbeating businessman Enrique Riquelme, 37, in the Merengues’ first presidential contest since 2006.
According to the Spanish press, Florentino received around 67% of the votes of the more than 30 thousand members who participated in the election. With the result, he will begin his eighth term as president of Real Madrid, the sixth consecutive since returning to the role in 2009.
After confirming the victory, the leader celebrated the result and thanked the members for their trust.
“It’s a very happy day for me and for madridismo. The members expressed themselves freely in deciding the future of the club and demonstrated once again their commitment to Real Madrid”, he declared.
The new management must mark the beginning of a sporting reformulation at the club. During the campaign, Florentino confirmed that José Mourinho is the name chosen to take over the team’s technical command, and the Portuguese coach’s official announcement could occur at any time.
In addition to the change in the reserve bench, the Re-elected president also presented ambitious promises for the transfer market. The main one is the signing of striker Michael Olise, a standout from Bayern Munich. According to Florentino, Real Madrid are willing to invest around 150 million euros (approximately R$900 million) to close the negotiation.
Other names mentioned by the president during the campaign were defender Ibrahima Konaté, from Liverpool, and full-back Denzel Dumfries, from Inter Milan, players who would be close to an agreement with the Spanish club.
Florentino Management
A central figure in the recent history of Real Madrid, Florentino accumulates one of the most successful administrations in world football. Under his command, the club won 38 titles, including seven editions of the Champions League, seven Club World Cups, seven European Super Cups, as well as national titles. It was also during his presidency that Real created the “Galácticos” era, with the signing of names such as Ronaldo, Zidane, David Beckham and Luís Figo.
This Sunday’s election ended a long period without competition at the club. The last presidential contest took place 20 years agowhen Ramón Calderón won the election after Florentino left. Since his return to office in 2009, the leader had been returned to the presidency without opponents.
Defeated in the dispute, Enrique Riquelme stated that the election represented a opportunity to increase fan participation in the club’s political life.
“Today is a special day. After 20 years, there was a historic participation. A voice was given to a part of the fans who had nowhere to express themselves. Regardless of the result, we will continue here”, said the businessman.
During the campaign, Riquelme promised impact signings, such as Erling Haaland and Rodri, both from Manchester City, in addition to defending the arrival of Jürgen Klopp as technical command and Raúl González as sports director. The proposals, however, were not enough to prevent another victory for Florentino Pérez, who will continue to lead Real Madrid until 2030.
