Florentino Perez will continue to lead Real Madrid in the coming years, after winning the club’s presidential elections, according to reports in major Spanish media.
According to polls published by Marca, AS and La Sexta, the 79-year-old has defeated his rival Enrique Riquelme and secured a new term at the helm of the Madrid club.
Perez received 66 percent of the vote, while 37-year-old candidate Riquelme won 33 percent. However, Riquelme’s result is considered significant, as he exceeded expectations and won more than 20 percent of the vote.
These were the first presidential elections at Real Madrid in two decades and at the same time the ones with the largest turnout in the club’s history.
By 5:00 PM, 23,593 club members had voted, while the ballot boxes closed at 8:00 PM. The official announcement of Perez’s victory is expected to take place during the evening.
This is Florentino Perez’s third victory in presidential elections, after triumphs in 2000 and 2004, when he defeated Lorenzo Sanz.
During the new term, Perez has confirmed that Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho will be, while the first two transfers of the summer are expected to be Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries, who will reportedly be presented this week at Valdebebas.
The Madrid president is also preparing a major blow in the transfer market. According to Spanish media, Real Madrid is expected to submit an offer of 150 million euros for Michael Oliseh, the Bayern Munich star, who is considered the club’s main target for this summer.
