The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, 79, was re-elected to the position this Sunday night (8). He will thus remain at the helm of the Spanish club for another four years.
Florentino obtained 65% of the votes, according to the club, against 35% for Enrique Riquelme. Around 33,500 members of the association voted.
The president called the elections on May 12, even though he still had two years in office, after the second consecutive season in which the club did not win titles.
The president said that the election result was “extraordinary” and that Real Madrid gave the world an example of “transparency and harmony”.
“It was a great day for Real Madrid […] We achieved the second best result in the club’s history in these elections”, he added.
Florentino was president of the club for the first time in 2000. He remained until 2006, when he resigned, and returned in 2009. He has not left the position since then.
He promises a reformulation of the team, which would begin with the hiring of Portuguese coach José Mourinho, who led the club between 2010 and 2013. He also said that he would spend 150 million euros on a player, whose name should be revealed this Tuesday (9).
Real Madrid’s last formal elections were exactly in 2006, when Ramon Calderón was elected, in a close vote.
“I congratulate Florentino Pérez on his victory, and Real Madrid will not go another 20 years without an election,” said Riquelme upon recognizing the result. During the campaign, Riquelme promised impact signings, with striker Haaland and midfielder Rodri, both from Manchester City, for the club.
Riquelme criticized, during the campaign, a proposal by Pérez that would allow external investors to buy up to 5% of the club. He said that this would be “privatizing” the association.
The president, however, states that Real Madrid will continue with the associative model.
