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With only a few days remaining before Real Madrid's socios cast their votes for the club's next president on June 7, the campaign trail is heating up. While both candidates have put forward wide-ranging pledges—from a revamp at Valdebebas to behind-the-scenes restructuring—much of the attention has centered on potential transfer targets.
Enrique Riquelme, the challenger to the throne and the first person to take on Florentino Pérez in two decades, has made several eye-catching claims. Last month, following his candidacy announcement, the 37-year-old Cox Energy CEO stated: "There is an agreement that if I become president of Real Madrid, two major international stars will come to play for the club."
Riquelme has also criticized the absence of Real Madrid players in the Spain national team setup and vowed that signing a Spanish international would be his top priority upon taking office.
Here, Sports Illustrated examines the transfer promises being made ahead of this summer's election, as well as the blockbuster campaign signings of years gone by.
Riquelme Teases Rodri Signing
In a conversation with Tiempo de Juego this week, Riquelme hinted that Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri would be among his signings.
"Rodri is an exceptional player," Riquelme said. "If I were president of Real Madrid, someone like Rodri would be wearing our shirt. We wouldn't have to endure the embarrassment of having no Real Madrid players in the Spanish national team. I would love to see Rodri at Real Madrid."
Meanwhile, Sky Sports DE reports that the other "major international star" Riquelme has in mind is none other than Rodri's City teammate Erling Haaland.
It's difficult to envision two more high-profile additions Madrid could make this summer than Rodri—a Madrid native and still one of the finest defensive midfielders on the planet—and Haaland—the Premier League's leading scorer in three of the past four seasons.
Riquelme has also hinted that he has a managerial agreement in place to replace Álvaro Arbeloa, and has linked club icon Raúl González to his ticket as his prospective sporting director.
Pérez Plans To Continue Big-Name Legacy
🚨 Florentino Perez's new banner ahead of the elections.
— @elchiringuitotv pic.twitter.com/P5jvx66k6u
Pérez has been considerably more guarded when it comes to discussing potential signings.
Reports suggest the 79-year-old incumbent has struck a deal to bring José Mourinho back to the club should he retain the presidency, though there has been little concrete discussion around specific transfer targets.
Pérez's campaign has leaned heavily on nostalgia and past achievements, rallying behind the slogan "Much more history to make."
Most notably, a large and unmistakable banner was unveiled across Madrid this week, displaying the names and squad numbers of marquee arrivals throughout Pérez's tenure—from Luís Figo to Kylian Mbappé—followed by the words "to be continued."
Ibrahima Konaté is also expected to arrive should Pérez secure re-election. Additionally, a report from Spanish outlet COPE claims Pérez will pursue defender Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), midfielder João Neves (PSG), and winger Victor Muñoz (Osasuna).
From Sánchez to Figo—Madrid's History of Campaign Promises
The allure of high-profile new signings has long been a defining feature of Real Madrid's presidential election campaigns.
In 2000, Pérez claimed his first term by pledging to deliver Figo—who was under contract at fierce rivals Barcelona. The audacious promise of luring the league's standout player away from Madrid's greatest enemy ultimately secured Pérez the presidency over incumbent Lorenzo Sanz, who had delivered two Champions League titles during his reign.
Figo famously faced the fury of enraged Barcelona supporters upon his return to Camp Nou, with a pig's head among the projectiles hurled at the winger as he prepared to take a corner. For Pérez, the transfer sent a clear message: he could sign anyone in the world for Madrid.
The Figo deal was followed by a string of moves for the game's biggest names—Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, David Beckham—assembling the iconic super-team that became known as the Galácticos.
However, Pérez was not the first president to use the promise of superstar signings as a campaign tool.
In 1985, Ramón Mendoza ran unopposed after pledging to sign prolific striker Hugo Sánchez from Atlético Madrid. The move was so contentious that Sánchez was first sold to Pumas UNAM in his home country before being acquired by Real Madrid—sparing Atlético the indignity of selling directly to their rivals.
Mendoza, who would later defeat Pérez in the 1994 elections, also used the names of Robert Prosinečki and Brian Laudrup as vote-winning tools in subsequent campaigns.
Perez's Dominance Built on Star Power
In 2006—the last time Madrid held a contested election—Ramón Calderón emerged victorious from a five-candidate field after promising the arrivals of Kaká, Cesc Fàbregas, and Arjen Robben. In the end, however, only Robben joined the club during his tenure.
Pérez, who reclaimed the presidency in 2009, consolidated his grip on power through his Galácticos 2.0 project, bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Karim Benzema, and Xabi Alonso in a single summer of extraordinary expenditure.
Over the past 16 years, the parade of big-name, big-money arrivals has continued—from Gareth Bale to Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and Mbappé.
With his transfer strategy helping to usher in a new golden era at the club, Pérez has maintained an iron grip on the presidency and ran unopposed in the four most recent electoral cycles (2013, 2017, 2021, 2025).
Riquelme has spent much of the past few weeks trying to set himself apart from Pérez. Yet when it comes to making tantalizing promises to win over voters, he appears to be borrowing directly from the incumbent's well-worn playbook.