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Sunday’s Real Madrid presidential election has become one of the most dramatic and consequential votes in the club’s modern history, and in the final days of campaigning, both candidates have been reaching for increasingly bold promises to win over the Bernabeu faithful.
The backdrop is significant.
Real Madrid have endured back-to-back seasons without a major trophy, a drought that, by the club’s extraordinary standards, has created genuine unrest among the membership.
Florentino Perez, who has held the presidency for 23 of the last 26 years and presided over the club’s most decorated era, finds himself in his first contested election in two decades.
His challenger is Enrique Riquelme, a 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur who has spent the past week lobbing transfer promises into the public arena with a frequency that has left European football barely able to keep up.
Riquelme had already promised Raul Gonzalez as sporting director.
He had pledged to sign Erling Haaland, a claim that prompted Manchester City to issue a furious rebuttal and threaten legal action after he appeared on Spanish television holding up a shirt with ‘Haaland 9’ on the back.
He added Rodri to the list. Vicente Del Bosque in an advisory role.
The promises accumulated daily.
And then, on Friday evening, he reached for the most unexpected name of all.
Riquelme released a formal statement confirming that, if elected, his first act on Monday morning would be to instruct Raul to personally contact Jurgen Klopp with an offer to become Real Madrid’s head coach.
“We know that Jürgen Klopp has publicly stated he has no intention of returning to the dugout in the short term, and that he has turned down numerous offers,” the statement read.
“That is precisely why we believe the challenge of Real Madrid is different.”
“Because there are great clubs, but there is only one Real Madrid.”
“There is only one institution capable of uniting tradition and future, values and ambition, passion and excellence.”
The German has been out of club management since leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2024 and has spent the past eighteen months working as Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull’s sporting group.
He has said on multiple occasions that he is “done” as a coach, though a more recent interview in March hinted at a possible softening of that position, with Klopp acknowledging he was not “completely finished” as a manager.
Perez, meanwhile, has confirmed Jose Mourinho as his managerial choice, with Benfica already stating a €15 million release clause would need to be triggered.
Sunday’s vote will decide everything.
The promises are made.
Now Madrid’s members choose which version of the future they believe in.