Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez announced that he is calling elections for the club presidency to prevent the club being taken by "a conspiracy of journalists who have concocted a scheme to take over Real Madrid", as he explained in a surrealist and combative press conference in which he directly confronted some reporters who dared to criticise "the greatest club in history". The catch is that Florentino has won every elections he has ever taken part in since 2000, and since the last five elections in 2009, there have been no other candidates.
Pérez said he welcomes any candidates, and sent a direct mention to "that man who talks to the electric companies and has a South American accent, let him come forward. A Mexican accent. They say we're very bad, that we're a dictatorship. Let this man come forward, and anyone else who wants to." That man, Enrique Riquelme, has taken the challenge and, according to El Confidencial, is preparing his candidacy to stand up to Pérez.
Enrique Riquelme, 37 years old, already planned to run for presidency of the club in the penultimate elections, in 2021. He fills the requirements by the club (being from Spain and have been a Real Madrid member for at least 20 uninterrupted years).
He is the leader of Cox Energy Group, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies, based in Mexico. According to El Confidencial, Riquelme is already talking with several banks to secure the guarantees necessary to run for the presidency of Real Madrid, which require him to demonstrate assets equivalent to 15% of the club's budget, estimated in over €1 billion, so he would need at least €150 million.
Riquelme has the requirements, including the money, as well as the backing of some club legends who have been famously at odds with Pérez, including Iker Casillas, while other former players like Sergio Ramos, Fernando Sanz, and Miguel Torres have been close with Riquelme, who despite the celerity of the electoral process, is said to have been secretly preparing for this scenario for a long time, after the club spent two trophyless seasons.