Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, 79, announced he will seek re-election and called for presidential elections following a trophyless 2025-26 season on May 12 in Madrid [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The announcement came days after Real Madrid’s 2-0 defeat to Barcelona at Camp Nou on May 10, which clinched Barcelona’s La Liga title with three games remaining [1, 2, 3, 5].
Pérez denied rumors he would resign, declaring, "I'm not going to resign" and "They’re going to have to shoot me, because I have the support of all Madrid’s members" [2, 4]. However, he criticized an alleged campaign against him by media and rivals [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
He accused La Liga and Barcelona of corruption, citing the ongoing Negreira case involving payments by Barcelona to a former referees committee vice president from 2001 to 2018. Pérez called it "the biggest scandal in history" and said the club has faced "an unprecedented case of corruption" over the past three years [1, 7, 8]. Barcelona is reportedly considering legal action against Pérez following these accusations [7, 8].
Real Madrid endured a turbulent 2025-26 season marked by managerial upheaval. Head coach Xabi Alonso was dismissed in January and replaced by Álvaro Arbeloa [1, 2, 3, 9]. The club failed to win any major trophies for the second season in a row—a first in 20 years—and fell short of expectations [2, 5].
At a television interview on May 13, Pérez praised former coach José Mourinho, who currently manages Benfica, saying Mourinho "increased our competitiveness" and recalled winning six European Cups in 10 years under his guidance. Pérez did not rule out Mourinho's return to Real Madrid in the future [1, 9, 5].
The official election process began on May 14, with candidate applications open until May 23 [5, 6]. Election rules require candidates to be Spanish nationals, 20-year members of the club, and submit a financial guarantee of about €187 million ($219 million), equal to 15% of the club's annual budget [4, 5, 6]. Businessman Enrique Riquelme has announced he is considering standing against Pérez in the election [5, 6].
