A historic day for Real Madrid
The Ciudad Real Madrid in Valdebebas became the epicentre of Spanish football as it opened its doors for elections that mark a turning point in the club's history. For the first time in two decades, members have the opportunity to elect their president, an event that has generated great anticipation and mobilization among fans.
The current president, Florentino Pérez, who is seeking his eighth term, was the first to exercise his right to vote at 9:57 AM. With a long history at the helm of the club since his return in 2009, Pérez arrived accompanied by vice president Eduardo Fernández de Blas. Despite the crowd surrounding him, he chose not to make formal statements and took time to interact with members, signing autographs and posing for photographs.
Pérez had previously launched an encouraging message through his social media urging Madridistas to participate: «For those who made us Madridistas, for them and for us, let’s go vote. We have much history left to make«.
At 10:50 AM, Enrique Riquelme, the 37-year-old young entrepreneur presenting himself as the alternative to the current president, made his appearance. Surrounded by his management team, Riquelme voted at table 33 amidst a mix of applause and some boos. Unlike Pérez, he did not hesitate to address the media and expressed his firm stance on the importance of these elections.
Riquelme emphasized that this vote is crucial to define the club's ownership model: «After 20 years, we can vote. We are standing to stop the sale of the club. If we didn’t take this step, the club was for sale. These are not normal elections; it’s a referendum,» he stated firmly.
Approximately 70,000 members are eligible to participate in this historic day, which will extend until 8:00 PM. The last time fans could vote was on July 2, 2006, when Ramón Calderón won a tight election against Juan Palacios and Juan Miguel Villar Mir.
Throughout the day, high participation is expected due to the interest generated by this unprecedented event in the white institution. The decisions made today could radically change the course of Real Madrid as we know it.
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