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The final stretch of the presidential campaign for Real Madrid brought a night of significant announcements on Wednesday: Florentino Pérez confirmed the return of José Mourinho to the Santiago Bernabéu bench if he wins the elections on Sunday, while his rival Enrique Riquelme promised on television the signing of Erling Haaland and asserted that he is well on the way to bringing in Rodri.
It was Florentino who set the pace for the night. At 10:01 PM, while Riquelme was still talking with Pablo Motos on El Hormiguero, the current president posted a short video on X with the message "MOUcha history to make," in which the Portuguese coach appeared wearing a Madrid jersey and uttering a single word: "Yes."
It would be Mourinho's second stint at the club, following his time between 2010 and 2013, during which he won a Copa del Rey, a league title with a historic record of 100 points, and a Supercopa de España.
The negotiations, channeled by agent Jorge Mendes, are all set between Madrid and Benfica. The release clause in the contract of the Portuguese coach, which was seven million euros gross, expired on May 29, meaning the compensation now amounts to a maximum of 15 million gross, equivalent to a year's salary.
When Pablo Motos conveyed the news to Riquelme live on air, the businessman from Alicante reacted with surprise and dismissed the Portuguese for his project: "Has he already announced it? Our style is completely different. He's a great coach. But for our project, no. I have another coach."
Next, Riquelme unveiled his own tactics. He displayed a jersey bearing the number 9 and the name Haaland in front of the cameras, asserting that the Norwegian forward from Manchester City has a release clause and wants to join Real Madrid: "Haaland has a clause; he wants to come to Real Madrid."
The candidate also confirmed advanced discussions with Rodri's representative, Pablo Barquero, and was emphatic: "Rodri is a fantastic Spanish player, a Ballon d'Or winner, plays in a position that Real Madrid needs to strengthen, and if I am president of Real Madrid, I couldn't make it any clearer. Rodri will play for Real Madrid."
Aware of the difference between announcing a free agent and promising players under contract with another club, Riquelme resorted to a personal notarial guarantee: if he fails to fulfill any of his promises, he will pay 100% of the fees for the 100,000 members of Real Madrid for an entire season.
Riquelme's candidacy also includes Raúl González as sporting director and Fernando Hierro in charge of the youth academy, although the name of their coach was not revealed that night; he promised to announce it on Friday or Saturday, describing him as "without a doubt the one everyone wants to coach Real Madrid."
Riquelme's strategy recalls that of the elections in 2000, when Florentino Pérez convened these elections on May 12, promising to sign Luis Figo, a promise he fulfilled after winning the votes of the members.
The voting will take place this Sunday, June 7, from 09:00 to 20:00 hours, at the Basketball Pavilion of Ciudad Real Madrid. According to a survey by OKDIARIO, Florentino is the favorite with 77.3% of the votes compared to the 22.7% that Riquelme would receive.
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