Enrique Riquelme continued to ramp up his presidential campaign by directly engaging with Real Madrid socios and supporters while publicly calling on Florentino Pérez to participate in a debate ahead of the upcoming elections.
With the club’s Electoral Board still yet to officially confirm the election date — currently expected to be June 7th — Riquelme’s campaign is already operating at full speed. The businessman spent the morning meeting with supporters at El Rincón de Toñín, a traditional gathering
place tied to the Capote y Montera supporters’ club, where he listened to concerns from fans and discussed several of the themes shaping his campaign.
Among the key issues raised were the Santiago Bernabéu renovation project, the treatment of socios and season ticket holders, ticket accessibility, and what Riquelme views as a growing disconnect between the club and its membership base.
Riquelme argued that ordinary socios have increasingly been pushed aside despite the club’s commercial success.
“Season ticket holders are privileged, but regular members feel forgotten,” he reportedly explained during the meeting. He specifically questioned the difficulty members face when trying to purchase tickets through the club’s official system, suggesting the process lacks transparency and accessibility.
Another recurring topic was the issue of season ticket redistribution. Riquelme criticized the lack of clarity surrounding season tickets that become available after holders are reportedly removed for resale violations, questioning why those spots are not being opened to waiting socios.
Much of the attention, however, centered on his demand for a public debate with Florentino Pérez.
The current Real Madrid president recently challenged potential opponents to step forward publicly and explain what they had contributed to the club. Riquelme responded directly, insisting that after two decades without a contested election, a debate is necessary.
“There has to be a debate,” Riquelme said. “Florentino has been the best president in Real Madrid history, and what we want is to continue building on the legacy he has created while taking the club into the future.”
He also claimed Pérez never truly expected a challenger to emerge, pointing to how quickly his own campaign was assembled once elections were announced.
Throughout the event, Riquelme leaned heavily into a message centered around listening to socios and restoring stronger communication between the club hierarchy and its membership. Before leaving, he posed for photos with fans and accepted a document containing requests and concerns from a group of members, promising to review the proposals and incorporate them into upcoming campaign announcements.
