Overview
- The club’s Electoral Board has validated two candidacies for the June 7 membership vote: incumbent Florentino Pérez and challenger Enrique Riquelme, making this the first genuinely contested Real Madrid presidential election since 2006.
- Pérez has proposed a corporate reform to convert membership into economic ownership and sell a small investor stake, and he says he will convene a referendum on the change immediately after the vote.
- Riquelme rejects the plan as privatisation and is campaigning for members to block any sale to private investors and to preserve full member control of the club.
- Key sporting decisions are on hold until the result: multiple outlets report José Mourinho has agreed terms to return if Pérez wins, transfers and buy‑backs are paused, and Pérez says Vinicius Jr.’s contract talks are 'very close' while stressing the player would be free to leave.
- The campaign has sharpened scrutiny of club governance, from accusations about informal adviser Anas Laghari to the Negreira refereeing case, and the next president will inherit immediate choices that shape the club’s sporting and commercial future.