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Enrique Riquelme may have started the race to become Real Madrid's next president as a long shot, but he has certainly made a name for himself since.
As the campaign entered its final stretch, the 37-year-old clean energy businessman knew he had perhaps one last opportunity to leave a mark on voters before Sunday's election. He decided to go all-in on prime-time Spanish talk show El Hormiguero (The Anthill), where he revealed his ambitious plans to sign not just Rodri but also his Manchester City superstar teammate Erling Haaland.
The whole affair became even more bizarre when Riquelme brandished a Real Madrid shirt with "Haaland 9" printed on the back and fielded questions from the show's beloved ant puppet duo Trancas and Barrancas.
The backlash was swift. Manchester City have threatened legal proceedings, while Haaland's father, Alfie-Inge, described the moment as "very entertaining but not true."
Spare a thought too for Kylian Mbappé, who would have watched the presidential hopeful apparently hand his No. 9 shirt to the three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner on national television without any prior notice.
Riquelme Doubles Down
[EXCLUSIVA] El FICHAJE ESTRELLA de Enrique Riquelme #RiquelmeEH pic.twitter.com/XziduVyN68
The stunt did precisely what it was designed to do: in the attention economy, it captured everyone's attention. Riquelme is now the talk of the week.
El Hormiguero reported that Wednesday night's broadcast was their most-watched ever, with more than 4.3 million viewers tuning in to see the presidential candidate boldly pledge to deliver the headline-grabbing pair.
So assured is Riquelme that he has reaffirmed his promise to cover all club membership fees should he fail to bring both players to the Bernabéu during his tenure.
The day after City and Haaland's rebuttal, Riquelme told AS: "It's part of the game. Nobody knows it better than you. It happened with [Luís] Figo too.
"Beyond what I've already stated, I've put forward a guarantee, a personal commitment that if I fail to deliver on any of those promises, I will personally cover the dues of all 100,000 Real Madrid members [around €15 million]. I can't ask for the members' trust if I don't believe in my own proposal."
Taking on Pérez at His Own Game
In response, Pérez—eager not to be outplayed at his own game—fired back with his own announcement that he would bid €150 million ($175 million) for a new "Galáctico"—though he has refused to name the player. Even so, when Madrid's 100,000-strong socio base head to the polls on Sunday, it will be difficult to ignore Riquelme's Haaland pledge.
The young challenger has clearly calculated that he needed to do something bold, daring and dramatic to stand any real chance of toppling Pérez, who has maintained a firm grip on Madrid for much of the 21st century.
His reference to the Figo transfer—Pérez's most celebrated signing that launched the original Galácticos era and shook the football world in 2000—reveals the playbook he is drawing from. He is attempting to fight fire with fire. But this election didn't need to go down that road.
Pérez remains the frontrunner, but his standing at the top has been eroded by two underwhelming seasons on the pitch and months of turmoil off it.
The remarkable press conference on May 12, during which Pérez unexpectedly called for elections ahead of schedule, seemed yet another sign that one of the club's most influential figures was losing his grip, as he stumbled and ranted against real and imagined adversaries before a bewildered press corps.
Following a week in which Madrid had been forced to release a statement about a dressing room altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurelién Tchouaméni that left the former hospitalised, Pérez did little to restore order or project a sense of stability.
Earlier this season, chants of "Florentino, resign" echoed around the Bernabéu amid reports of a power struggle involving Pérez's advisor Anas Laghrari and CEO José Ángel Sánchez playing out behind closed doors.
A Chance for Change
Real Madrid have been mired in controversy for months, and Riquelme had the opportunity to position himself as the steady hand in the room—someone who could guide Madrid into a new chapter.
He could also have focused on Pérez's polarising (and costly) decision to appoint José Mourinho as manager—a move that feels like pouring fuel on the fire given Madrid's dressing room tensions. Had he chosen to, Riquelme could have turned this election into a referendum on Mourinho's return. Instead, he opted for fantasy.
Regardless of whether Haaland actually has a release clause in his City deal, the Norwegian is not the signing Real Madrid need at this moment, with an already dysfunctional attack struggling to accommodate Mbappé, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. Adding Haaland to that mix might as well come with a pair of ant puppets thrown in for good measure.
But Riquelme has achieved what he set out to do: grab your attention. Whether that's enough to win the election is another matter entirely.
Whoever emerges victorious, it's difficult to see a leader truly prepared to tackle Madrid's problems head-on.