Perez wins Real Madrid election with 65% of vote but Riquelme blocks club ownership sale plan

The vote

Florentino Perez won Real Madrid's first genuine presidential contest in two decades in the early hours of Monday, securing four more years at the helm with 65% of the vote. His challenger, renewable energy entrepreneur Enrique Riquelme, took 35% of the 33,555 ballots cast at the club's Valdebebas training ground on Sunday. Riquelme conceded defeat roughly an hour before the official tally was announced.

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, 79, called the election on 12 May despite having two years remaining on his mandate, following a second straight season without silverware for the record 15-time European champions. The club had not held a formal presidential vote since 2006, when Ramon Calderon won by a narrow margin. Perez had renewed his mandate five times since 2009 by running unopposed.

Ownership battle

Riquelme framed his 35% share as a victory in itself, telling supporters that his campaign had succeeded in blocking Perez's plan to sell a minority stake in the club to outside investors. Perez had proposed creating a commercial subsidiary owned by members and selling between 5% and 10% of it to external capital, a move requiring a statutory change and a referendum of the club's roughly 100,000 voting members.

This is not the end, but the beginning. We have stopped the sale of the club.

Perez had wanted to convene an extraordinary assembly before 30 June to explain the reform. Under article 58 of the club's statutes, any such change would need approval by an absolute majority of voting members. The president has argued the move would establish a real valuation for the club, which he believes exceeds the 10 billion euros estimated by Forbes, and would provide an injection of capital at a time when the Santiago Bernabeu renovation has left the club with debt of more than 1 billion euros.

Mourinho return and transfer pledges

Perez promised during the campaign to reappoint Jose Mourinho as head coach. Benfica, where Mourinho is currently under contract, confirmed in a statement to Portugal's CMVM market regulator that any move for the Portuguese coach would require a 15 million euro termination payment. Perez described Mourinho as "one of the best coaches in the world, a Madridista" in his victory speech.

We are going to continue working to win titles, to be proud of the best stadium in the world and of the return of one of the best coaches in the world, Jose Mourinho.

On the transfer front, Perez said defenders Ibrahima Konate, whose contract with Liverpool is expiring, and Dutch right-back Denzel Dumfries would be his first signings. He also pledged to spend 150 million euros on an unnamed player to be revealed on Tuesday, a fee that would represent a club record. Riquelme had countered with promises to sign Manchester City pair Erling Haaland and Rodri.

A new opposition

Riquelme, who will be 41 when the next election is due in 2030, emerged from the campaign with a credible platform despite the hurried nature of his candidacy. His campaign slogan, "Legacy and Future", acknowledged Perez's achievements while positioning himself as the candidate who would bring members closer to a club he said had drifted away from them. Several media exit polls had projected Perez's support in the 60–70% range, and the final result gave Riquelme a stronger base than many had anticipated for a first-time challenger against a president who has led the club for 26 years across two spells.

Real Madrid will not go another 20 years without an election.

Perez struck a conciliatory note toward those who voted against him, pledging to listen to their concerns and to stay closer to members. The result leaves him with a mandate to rebuild a squad that finished the season without major trophies in both men's and women's football, and in basketball, but with a newly energised opposition watching his every move on the ownership question.