Pérez opens the way for Mourinho's return to Real Madrid after a convincing victory
Florentino Pérez has won a new presidential term at Real Madrid after the club's first election with multiple candidates in two decades, giving him the political and institutional foundation to carry out the announced sporting moves. According to reports by El País, The Guardian and ESPN, the incumbent president defeated Enrique Riquelme in the election held on June 7, 2026, receiving around 65 percent of the votes of members with voting rights. Spain's El País reported that Pérez won 21,741 votes, while Riquelme received 11,814, which gave the election a clear winner, but also showed that there is a visible desire among part of the membership for a debate on the club's direction. Pérez has thus retained control over one of the most influential sporting projects in Europe at a moment when major changes are being prepared in Madrid on the bench, in the sporting department and in the broader model of club management.
The most prominent move expected after the election is the return of José Mourinho to the Real Madrid bench. The Portuguese coach, who already managed the Madrid club from 2010 to 2013, is currently tied to Benfica, so his possible arrival depends not only on Real Madrid's decision but also on contractual obligations toward the Portuguese club. According to information reported by the Portuguese agency Lusa, Benfica informed Portugal's Securities Market Commission that Pérez's candidacy had expressed a firm intention to hire Mourinho in the event of victory in the election and that the deal, if completed, would be concluded by paying a release clause of 15 million euros. As of June 8, 2026, Real Madrid had not issued an official confirmation of Mourinho's appointment, so his return at this moment can be described as likely, but formally not yet finalized.
Elections that ended a long practice without challengers
The presidential elections at Real Madrid were unusually important because, for the first time in 20 years, the club had a real contest involving multiple candidates. Real Madrid's official electoral documentation had previously confirmed the candidacies of Florentino Pérez and Enrique José Riquelme Vives, and the club's Electoral Board determined that voting would take place on June 7, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the basketball arena at Ciudad Real Madrid. Such a procedure marked a departure from earlier cycles in which Pérez, as a rule, remained without a challenger, which made his long-standing rule extremely stable but also reduced the space for public debate within the membership. This time, the election opened questions that go beyond the coaching position itself and transfers, including the ownership model, financing the club's development, the relationship with members and the way strategic decisions are made.
Riquelme, an entrepreneur connected to the energy sector and a long-standing club member, ran as a candidate who tried to gather the more dissatisfied part of the membership. According to reports by ESPN and The Guardian, his campaign was directed against possible changes to the ownership and management structure, emphasizing the message that Real Madrid must remain a club of its members. Pérez, on the other hand, based his campaign on continuity, financial strength, major sporting ambitions and the further development of the club's commercial potential. Such a clash of two visions gave the election broader significance than an ordinary club vote, because behind the question of who would be coach there was also a debate about how much Real Madrid can change without abandoning the membership model that the club often highlights as part of its identity.
Debate over ownership and members' trust
One of the most sensitive topics of the campaign was the possibility of partially opening the club to outside capital. The Guardian reported that Pérez's project mentioned a plan to sell a minority stake of five percent, which, according to that interpretation, would serve to assess the club's market value and create financial room for further development. Riquelme used that direction as a central point of criticism, arguing that even a limited opening to capital could, in the long term, change the balance between members and the management. In the context of European football, in which many big clubs have long since been in private or mixed ownership, Real Madrid and Barcelona remain among the most visible examples of major clubs with a membership model. That is precisely why the debate over the possible entry of outside capital has strong symbolic and practical significance.
The electoral process was also accompanied by a dispute over trust in the procedure, especially in connection with postal votes and the availability of the electoral roll. Real Madrid's official Electoral Board announced on June 2, 2026, that it had not delivered the electoral roll to any candidacy and that both candidacies had received written instructions on the procedure for sending materials to members. The Board also stated that the candidacies could appoint an accredited representative who would oversee the area intended for storing postal votes, which was presented as a measure to strengthen transparency. These details show that the election was not only a sporting event but also a test of trust in the club's institutions. Pérez's victory therefore gives him a mandate, but also an obligation to ensure that part of the concern that appeared during the campaign does not remain unanswered.
Mourinho's return as the first major move
Mourinho's possible return carries strong sporting and symbolic weight. The Portuguese coach first managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, in a period during which the club won the Spanish championship, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. Real Madrid's official data on his coaching staff from that time confirm that this stage ended with one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey and one Super Cup, but also with the impression of unfinished business in the Champions League. Mourinho then built an exceptionally competitive team in Madrid, but he did not manage to deliver the European trophy that the club had to wait for until 2014. A return would therefore be presented not only as the hiring of a well-known coach, but also as an attempt to close a circle that remained open more than a decade ago.
In sporting terms, such a choice would point to Pérez's desire for a coach with strong authority, a clear hierarchy and experience in dressing rooms with major stars. During his career, Mourinho has worked in Portugal, England, Italy, Spain and Turkey, and his reputation is based on his ability to quickly raise competitive intensity, but also on the frequent conflicts that accompany his way of working. For Real Madrid, this means that a possible return would be welcomed with great expectations, but also with caution. Part of the fan and media public sees him as a coach who can restore discipline and a clear structure, while others recall that his first spell in Madrid was also marked by tensions, especially in relations with part of the dressing room and the Spanish football environment.
The contract with Benfica and the price of departure
Mourinho arrived at Benfica in September 2025, and the Lisbon club's official announcement at the time stated that Benfica SAD had informed the Portuguese regulator CMVM about the negotiations and the appointment of coach José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix. In that announcement, according to Benfica, it was also stated that ten days after the last official match of the 2025/26 season, both sides could decide under equal conditions not to continue their cooperation for the 2026/27 season. The latest reports from Portugal add that, in Real Madrid's case, the subject of the talks became a release clause of 15 million euros. Such an amount for a coach is not common in European football, but it reflects the specificity of the situation in which Benfica finds itself, because it concerns a coach under contract and a possible departure immediately after the end of the season.
For Benfica, Mourinho's departure would be a sporting loss, but also a financially clearly defined deal if the clause is activated. The Portuguese club, as a company whose relevant business information is subject to communication with the market regulator, must act especially carefully in situations that may affect its sporting and financial position. That is why the information about Real Madrid's intention and the amount of the clause gained additional weight when it was reported as part of communication to the CMVM. For Real Madrid, meanwhile, paying such compensation would show that Pérez does not want to waste time after the election and that he considers the coaching issue to be the foundation of the new project. As long as there is no official announcement from the Madrid club, the key formulation remains that the deal has been announced and prepared, but not publicly concluded.
What Pérez's victory means for the sporting project
Pérez's new term enables continuity of management at a time when Real Madrid is preparing for a new season with high ambitions. According to reports by Spanish and British media, along with the coaching issue, possible reinforcements and changes in the structure of the first team are also being mentioned. Such information should be viewed cautiously because the transfer market often produces a large number of announcements that are not realized, but it is clear that choosing Mourinho, if confirmed, would not be an isolated move. A coach of his profile usually demands clear decisions in the transfer window, players suited to physically demanding and tactically disciplined football, and strong institutional support from the management. Victory in the election gives Pérez precisely the political stability needed to make expensive and potentially controversial decisions.
Real Madrid is a club where sporting decisions are almost never separated from institutional strategy. Mourinho's return would therefore have a dual function: on the one hand, it would represent an attempt to quickly strengthen the team's competitive identity, and on the other it would show that, in his new term, Pérez is choosing recognizable, strong and highly visible solutions in the media. Such an approach corresponds to his long-standing way of running the club, in which sporting authority, commercial appeal and global recognition often intertwine. Still, today's Real Madrid is not the same club as during Mourinho's first term. The dressing room, the financial environment, the coaching market and public expectations have changed, so a possible second term for the Portuguese specialist would be a test of his ability to adapt as much as of Pérez's judgment.
A mandate with a clear majority, but also open questions
The election result shows that the majority of Real Madrid's members still trust Pérez. His victory with around two thirds of the vote is enough for a strong mandate, especially considering that Riquelme entered the race against one of the most powerful presidents in the club's history. But 35 percent of the vote for the challenger is not a negligible signal. It is a message that part of the membership wants more debate about ownership, transparency and the management's relationship with members, even if it is not ready to reject Pérez's entire model. Such dynamics could mark the coming months, especially if the debate over the possible entry of outside capital continues or if major sporting moves do not produce quick results.
Mourinho's return, if confirmed, will be the first major indicator of the direction of the new term. According to the information available on June 8, 2026, Pérez gained room through the election to implement his plan, Benfica has been linked through publicly available reports with a release clause of 15 million euros, and Real Madrid still needs to officially complete the coaching decision. In such a situation, it is most precise to say that the Madrid club is on the threshold of a very important change, but also that the final form of the new project depends on official announcements that should follow after the election. For Pérez, victory is not only a confirmation of past work, but the beginning of a new period in which it will very quickly become clear whether the combination of an old president and a familiar coach can once again bring sporting and institutional momentum.
Sources:
- Real Madrid C. F. – minutes of the Electoral Board on the candidacies and organization of voting on June 7, 2026 (link)
- Real Madrid C. F. – official statement of the Electoral Board on the electoral roll, candidacy materials and postal votes (link)
- Real Madrid C. F. – statement by Florentino Pérez on calling the election and his candidacy (link)
- El País – report on the result of Real Madrid's presidential election, vote ratio and campaign context (link)
- ESPN – report on the first contested presidential election at Real Madrid in 20 years and Enrique Riquelme's statement (link)
- The Guardian – analysis of Pérez's victory, Enrique Riquelme's role and the debate on the club management model (link)
- SL Benfica – official announcement on the appointment of José Mourinho and the contractual terms for the 2026/27 season (link)
- Agência Lusa / DNOTÍCIAS – report on Benfica's communication to the CMVM and the 15 million euro release clause for Mourinho (link)
- Real Madrid C. F. – official data on Mourinho's earlier period in Real Madrid's coaching staff and the trophies won (link)