Real Madrid president candidate promises two superstar signings that would rock football

If your interest in football is inspired by big names and outlandish promises, presidential elections at Real Madrid seldom fail to deliver.

The La Liga giants have been ruled by Florentino Perez since 2009, when the forthright leader won his second term as the club president.

Real Madrid are owned and run by a vast membership of socios, who vote in presidential elections but have not decided on a change at the top since Perez succeeded Vicente Boluda 16 years ago.

One of the great Real Madrid traditions is for the incumbent president and his election challenger to promise the earth when it comes to the thing most of the club's fans care about the most: signing the most famous players in the world for epic amounts of money.

Perez, 79, launched his 2026 campaign in May when he announced new elections during a ferocious rant in which he lashed out at suggestions he would retire and clashed with members of the press.

"I'm not going to resign," said Perez in his bizarre press conference. "I have asked the electoral board to initiate the process to call elections, in which this current board and I are going to run again.

"An absurd campaign has been created to attack me personally. They say 'where is Florentino?' If I normally don't speak. They say that I'm sick and have terminal cancer. I continue presiding over Real Madrid and ACS. My health is perfect."

The long-standing president is being challenged by renewable energy entrepreneur Enrique Riquelme, who has slotted seamlessly into the custom of listing the biggest names imaginable as transfer market promises to the voting socios.

Sunday's election will see 100,000 members decide between Perez and a challenger who favours Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as his manager despite the apparently imminent return of Jose Mourinho.

Riquelme names his Real Madrid transfer targets

The 37-year-old has claimed to have agreements in place with two blockbuster new signings.

After two trophyless seasons on the spin, Riquelme told ABC, per MARCA, that: "There are signings already secured. I have signed two major international stars for Real Madrid. Two players, and we are working on the coach side.

"There is an agreement that if I am president of Real Madrid there are two major international stars who will play for Real Madrid and they are necessary for Real Madrid's short-, medium-, and long-term sporting project."

Riquelme hasn't yet made good on his suggestion that the players will be named before the election but Sky Sport Germany has reported a doozy of a double.

Manchester City pair Erling Haaland and Rodri, respectively the most dangerous striker in the world and a Ballon d'Or winner, would certainly leave a mark.

Haaland's City contract is understood to have eight years left to run.