Florentino Perez calls for presidential elections this summer with rumors of a surprising challenger

Florentino Perez has officially asked the electoral board to move forward with elections for the presidency and the board. As things stand, Florentino would run unopposed. If no challenger arises, then Florentino Perez and his board would automatically be elected for another term — his sixth in total.

Despite no official challengers to Florentino’s throne, rumors have begun to circulate about a young 32-year-old by the name of Enrique Riquelme. The young executive leads a company called “Cox Energy” with majority of their business conducted in Latin America. Riquelme has been a socio of Real Madrid for two decades and his father sat on the board when Ramon Calderon was president and when Vicente Boluda was interim president.

“It has always been a dream of mine to preside over Madrid — potentially now or in the future,” Enrique Riquelme revealed. “Many media outlets have called me out as a candidate, but I have not spoken yet. I am still studying the possibility of running now. Is it impossible? I have spent my entire professional life doing things that were considered impossible. But I have the trust of my shareholders. Managing Real Madrid requires 100%. With 100% allies and professionals. I would not go to Madrid with a broken heart between the club and Cox. I would go to transform the club and that needs exclusive dedication. If I don’t show up now, it would be next time. And if I show up and don’t win, I hope they will study some of my recommendations.”

Riquelme has been vocal about bringing “Real Madrid 3.0” to the fore. He believes Santiago Bernabeu delivered the best version of Real Madrid, followed by Real Madrid 2.0 under Florentino Perez, and he would like to “transform” the club under a Real Madrid 3.0 mantra — bringing with him new ideas that would aim to triple the clubs income in eight years.

Riquelme has yet to announce any official run. He may decide that 2021 is too soon to put together a true challenge, but he will be a prospect to keep an eye on in future elections.