🗳️There'll be elections in Madrid: Riquelme's bid is approved | OneFootball

The race for the Real Madrid presidency has formally opened. Through a statement issued this Sunday, May 24, 2026, the club’s Electoral Board — chaired by José Manuel de Carlos Grau — unanimously confirmed the validity of the proposal submitted by Alicante businessman Enrique José Riquelme Vives.

Despite the detection of a correctable error in board member José Olivé Pina’s outdated membership number, the body confirmed that the documentation, electoral program, and bank guarantee strictly comply with the demanding requirements of Article 40 of the entity’s bylaws.

Riquelme in MARCA: "The great forgotten one is the member"

After receiving the official green light, Riquelme gave his first exclusive interview to MARCA, where he laid out the foundations of his project in contrast to Florentino Pérez’s model. The president of Grupo Cox said his absolute priority is to stop privatization rumors and guarantee that the club continues to belong 100% to its members.

"We want a Real Madrid that continues to belong to its members. Governance needs transparency and democracy after 20 years without being able to vote," he emphasized.

The key points of Riquelme’s candidacy

On the sporting side, the candidate criticized the erosion of institutional values and the lack of prominence of "La Fábrica" compared with other domestic rivals. He promised a professionalized structure with a sporting director and top-level signings in the medium and long term.

Finally, he revealed that he took a major financial risk by backing the candidacy entirely with his personal assets: the costly guarantee required — equivalent to 15% of the club’s budget (around €1.2 billion) — was issued exclusively in his name through Andbank, demonstrating his total commitment to this change of era.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

📸 Angel Martinez - 2026 Getty Images