Florentino Pérez to re-elect Real Madrid president until 2030
Florentino Pérez has secured Real Madrid's first real presidential bid in two decades, guaranteeing another four years at the helm of the club until 2030.
The club's website said in an official statement on Monday: "The Real Madrid Electoral Council has announced that with 100% of the personal and postal votes counted, Mr. Florentino Pérez has won the election of the President of the Board of Directors of Real Madrid."
"The candidacy led by Florentino Pérez received 21,741 votes, representing 65%, and the candidacy led by Mr. Enrique Riquelme received 11,814 votes, representing 35% of the votes," he added.
On May 12, Pérez called for elections despite two years left in his term, after a second consecutive season without a title for Real Madrid.
In his victory speech from a hotel in the Spanish capital, the 79-year-old Perez described the result as "exceptional". He said that Real Madrid "has set an example to the world in transparency and harmony".
"It was a great day for Real Madrid, we won in all age groups, and we achieved the second best result in the history of Real Madrid's elections."
Enrique Riquelme conceded his defeat and congratulated Pérez's campaign on victory, saying in a brief statement: "I would like to congratulate Florentino Pérez's campaign on its victory, there will be no elections in Real Madrid for another 20 years."
Pérez first took over as Real Madrid president in 2000 and has renewed his mandate five times since 2009 by acclamation, and the club has not held an official presidential election since 2006, when Ramón Calderón narrowly won.
Perez officially decides the identity of Real Madrid's next coach
According to newspaper reports, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has reached a full agreement with Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho to oversee the technical management of the Merengue once the electoral process currently underway within the club is over.
The Catalan newspaper "Sport" said that Mourinho's return within Madrid is considered a direct response to the internal division and conflicts that have characterized the current disastrous season, as Florentino believes that the dressing room is in dire need of a personality who has the authority and the ability to impose order and discipline from day one.
The fall of the rest of the club's options hastened the decision in favour of the Portuguese coach, with Jurgen Klopp insisting he has no intention of returning to coaching in the near term after the fatigue he suffered during his years at Liverpool, while the likes of Lionel Scaloni, Didier Deschamps and Mauricio Pochettino will have to wait until the end of the 2026 World Cup before taking up any new positions.
At the Bernabéu, there is a firm conviction that the club cannot wait any longer, and that the solution must be immediate and decisive.