Enrique Riquelme Says Two Stars Are Secured for Real Madrid
Enrique Riquelme says two major international stars are already secured for Real Madrid if he is elected president, turning Sunday’s vote into a direct test of the club’s sporting direction. The challenger is pitching the pledge as part of a short-, medium- and long-term project, with 100,000 members set to choose between him and Florentino Perez.
Riquelme's Real Madrid pledge
“There are signings already secured. I have signed two major international stars for Real Madrid. Two players, and we are working on the coach side,” Riquelme said to, per MARCA.
He added: “There is an agreement that if I am president of Real Madrid there are two major international stars who will play for Real Madrid and they are necessary for Real Madrid's short-, medium-, and long-term sporting project.”
The 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur is challenging Perez for the presidency, and his promise lands in a club where election campaigns have long been shaped by major transfer pledges. Real Madrid have also gone through two trophyless seasons on the spin.
Perez and the election vote
Perez, who began his second term in 2009, moved to set the election in motion in May 2026. “I'm not going to resign,” he said then, adding: “I have asked the electoral board to initiate the process to call elections, in which this current board and I are going to run again.”
He also said: “An absurd campaign has been created to attack me personally.” And on criticism about his health, Perez said: “They say 'where is Florentino?' If I normally don't speak. They say that I'm sick and have terminal cancer. I continue presiding over Real Madrid and ACS. My health is perfect.”
Sunday’s vote puts 100,000 members in charge of deciding whether Real Madrid stay with Perez or turn to Riquelme’s promise of two major international stars. That choice will sit alongside the coach question, with Riquelme favoring Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Jose Mourinho’s return appearing imminent.
Haaland, Rodri and the coach side
The player names being linked to the claim are Erling Haaland and Rodri, with Sky Sport Germany reporting a possible double signing. Haaland’s Manchester City contract is understood to have eight years left to run, while Real Madrid have already initiated contact and are trying to get the deal done imminently.
That leaves the election with a very specific sporting offer in the foreground: two stars, one coach decision, and a membership vote that will decide whether Riquelme gets the chance to try to turn the pledge into Real Madrid’s next project.
