The first Real Madrid elections in 20 years are heating up, with the young candidate Enrique Riquelme challenging 23 years ruled by Florentino Pérez. The 37-year-old businessman, who started his campaign focusing on the members and the fan's clubs, is now speaking directly to the average 'madridista', by talking to popular YouTubers (Jordi Wild) and going to Spain's top prime time talk show, El Hormiguero, where Riquelme promised that he will sign Erling Haaland if he is elected.
Riquelme's sporting project already has a few names: Raúl González as sporting director, Fernando Hierro as director of the youth academy, and two players long desired by the fans, both from Manchester City: Rodri Hernández and Erling Haaland.
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Speaking on the TV show, Riquelme even showed one of the new Real Madrid jerseys with Haaland's name and number 9 (a number currently used by Endrick), and showed documents with a personal notarised guarantee: if the players don't sign for Real Madrid if he is elected as president, he will pay 100% of the membership fees to all 100,000 Real Madrid members.
In the meantime, Florentino Pérez's marketing team responded to the stunt by releasing a video confirming that José Mourinho will become Real Madrid manager if Pérez is elected president on Sunday. Pérez already trusted Mourinho between 2010 and 2013, and while he failed to win the Champions League, he laid the foundations for the team that won four Champions in five years with Ancelotti and Zidane.
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The electoral campaign will continue until Sunday, June 7, with Florentino Pérez promising to announce the name of a "star signing" on Thursday (in addition to Konaté and Dumfries) and Riquelme promising to reveal the coach he would sign on Friday or Saturday (rumours say it will be Arsenal's Mikel Arteta).
Would you like to see Erling Haaland playing for Real Madrid?