Pérez Secures 65% In First Contested Madrid Vote Since 2006
Florentino Pérez has secured another term as Real Madrid president after winning the club’s presidential election, defeating challenger Enrique Riquelme in the first contested vote at the Spanish giants in two decades.
The club’s Electoral Board confirmed the result in an official statement on Monday morning, declaring that “with 100% of the in-person and postal votes counted, the candidacy headed by Mr. Florentino Pérez has won the elections for President and Board of Directors of Real Madrid.”
According to the board, Pérez’s ticket received 21,741 votes, representing 65 percent of the total cast. “The candidacy headed by Mr. Florentino Pérez obtained 21,741 votes, which represents 65%,” the statement said. His challenger, businessman Enrique Riquelme, secured 11,814 votes, accounting for 35 percent of the ballots. “The candidacy headed by Mr. Enrique Riquelme obtained 11,814 votes, representing 35%,” the board added.
The contest was the first the club had held in 20 years, with Pérez elected unopposed in 2009, 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025. He called for fresh board elections on 12 May 2026, following a trophy-less season for the club. Riquelme, founder of renewable energy firm COX Energy, announced his candidacy on 21 May.
A total of 33,555 votes were cast by club members, culminating in a turnout of under 40 percent. The recount ran much longer than expected, delayed by a challenge to more than 1,000 mail-in votes.
The victory ensures that Pérez will continue as president, leading a Board of Directors that includes Vice Presidents Eduardo Fernández de Blas, Pedro López Jiménez, Enrique Sánchez González and Enrique Pérez Rodríguez. The newly elected board also includes Secretary José Luis del Valle Pérez and several members who will serve alongside Pérez during the new administration.
Transfer activity dominated the closing stretch of the campaign. Pérez had already announced the return of José Mourinho as Madrid coach should he win, along with the signings of Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries, and a promise to bid over €150 million for an unnamed “Galáctico” attacking signing. Riquelme, 37, had said he would attempt to recruit Jürgen Klopp as coach and sign Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Rodri.
Speaking after the result, Pérez hailed the outcome. “We’ve obtained the second-best result in the history of Real Madrid elections,” he said. “It’s an extraordinary result. Today, Real Madrid won. We’ve shown an example of democracy to the world.”
The re-election extends Pérez’s long-standing leadership of one of the world’s most successful football clubs. He led Real Madrid from 2000 to 2006 before returning in 2009, and his new mandate runs through 2030.