The Real Madrid elections arrive this Sunday with an initial advantage for Florentino Pérez, but with a much livelier campaign than it seemed just a few weeks ago. Twenty years after the last elections with ballots in the white club, the current president faces Enrique Riquelme in a vote marked by sporting promises, postal voting, member participation, and the debate on the entity's future model.
The average compiled by Demócrata from published polls and surveys places Florentino Pérez ahead of Riquelme. The interpretation, however, requires caution: only one of the located polls has a technical sheet of a survey among eligible members, while the rest are open consultations from media outlets to their readers.
With these limitations, the simple average of the available data leaves Florentino with 55.8% and Riquelme with 44.2%. If more weight is given to the only survey with a sample of members and less to the open consultations, the current president's advantage clearly widens.
Florentino leads the only survey with a technical sheet among members
The most conclusive data published so far is the survey conducted by Data10 for OK Diario. According to that poll, Florentino Pérez would obtain 77.3% of the support among eligible members, compared to 22.7% for Enrique Riquelme.
The survey was conducted between May 29 and June 1 on a sample of 500 eligible members. According to the published technical sheet, the work included 367 in-person interviews and 133 telephone interviews, with a margin of error of 4.6%.
That poll shows a very wide advantage for Florentino and reflects an even greater perception of victory: 88.3% of those surveyed believe the current president will be re-elected, compared to 11.7% who see Riquelme as the winner.
The simple average shows Florentino's advantage, but with more competition
The simple average of the data published or referenced by different media outlets offers a more competitive picture:
Florentino Pérez: 55.8%
Enrique Riquelme: 44.2%
This average includes the Data10 survey among members and open consultations from readers of sports and general media. Therefore, it should not be read as an electoral poll in the strict sense, but as an indicative measurement of the campaign climate.
The difference is important: when identified partners are asked, Florentino clearly leads; when the consultation is opened to the general public or media readers, Riquelme significantly improves his numbers.
Open consultations show more electoral noise
Reader consultations have introduced more uncertainty in the final stretch. In the Marca poll, Florentino appears as the favorite to win, although Riquelme obtains relevant support. In AS, the referred distance is much narrower, with a reduced advantage for the current president. In El País, the open consultation clearly favors Riquelme.
The political reading - or footballing, which in Real Madrid is sometimes almost the same - is simple: Florentino retains a solid advantage among the more institutional electorate, but Riquelme has managed to activate conversation, emotional vote, and desire for change in a part of the madridismo.
The campaign does not seem to have clearly jeopardized Florentino's re-election, but it has broken a dynamic of years without real opposition.
Haaland, Rodri, and Klopp boost Riquelme
Riquelme has based a good part of his final stretch on a proposal for rupture: high-impact signings, change of sporting structure, and return of club legends to positions of responsibility.
His big campaign coup was promising the arrival of Erling Haaland and Rodri, both from Manchester City, to the point of committing to pay the annual fee of the members if he did not fulfill his promises. He has also positioned Jürgen Klopp as the desired coach and Raúl as a central figure in his sporting project.
The problem for Riquelme is that several of those promises have been cooled down from outside. Klopp's camp has ruled out that the German coach wants to coach again now, and from Haaland's camp, the possibility of an immediate departure from Manchester City has also been downplayed.
Even so, the electoral effect is evident: the names have placed Riquelme at the center of the conversation and have forced Florentino to raise the tone of his campaign.
Mourinho and the 150 million signing, Florentino's response
Florentino Pérez has responded with his own campaign repertoire. The current president has positioned the return of José Mourinho as one of his great sporting promises and has announced that, if re-elected, Real Madrid will launch a major offer for a top-level footballer.
He has also linked his candidacy to stability, experience, titles achieved, and the transformation of the club during his terms. His message seeks to activate the vote for continuity in the face of the uncertainty of an alternative candidacy.
On an emotional level, Mourinho functions as an identity card. He is not a neutral name: he divides, mobilizes, and refers to a stage of high competitive tension. For some members, he may represent character; for others, an unnecessary return to a conflictive stage.
Mail-in voting could be decisive if turnout is low
One of the key factors will be turnout. The last elections with ballot boxes at Real Madrid were held in 2006, when Ramón Calderón won in a vote marked by controversy over mail-in voting.
On this occasion, the Electoral Board has reinforced the custody of mail-in votes and has established additional controls to avoid controversies. In-person voting will be held this Sunday at the Real Madrid City Basketball Pavilion, in Valdebebas, between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
Turnout will be decisive in interpreting the result. High mobilization may favor a broader reading of the real state of the Madrid member. Low turnout, on the other hand, would give more weight to the most mobilized core groups of each candidacy.
Two club models: continuity or rupture
Beyond the individual names, the election pits two models against each other.
Florentino Pérez represents continuity, presidential management, global expansion, major operations, and a Real Madrid built around the brand, the Bernabéu, and the club's institutional weight.
Riquelme proposes a campaign of rupture: more transparency, auditing, defense of the member as owner, criticism of economic management, and rejection of any move that could be interpreted as a partial privatization of the club.
This debate has grown in recent days due to the discussion about the possible entry of private capital into a minority part of the club. Florentino presents it as a formula to value and strengthen the entity. Riquelme has turned it into a referendum on the ownership of Real Madrid.
When are the Real Madrid elections and who can vote
The elections for the presidency of Real Madrid are being held this Sunday, June 7. The ballot boxes will be open between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM at the Real Madrid City Basketball Pavilion, in Valdebebas.
Members over the age of majority, with at least one year of uninterrupted membership and who are included in the club's electoral roll, may vote.
The result will be known after the closing of the polls and the counting of the votes, on a day that could mark the sporting, economic, and institutional future of Real Madrid.