‘Causes a lot of shame’: Florentino Perez tears into Enrique Riquelme ahead of Real Madrid election

Real Madrid’s presidential election is almost here, and as part of the campaign, both candidates – Florentino Perez and Enrique Riquelme – have offered many promises.

While Perez has sensationally announced a new signing worth €150 million, Riquelme has been trying to gather support from Real Madrid legends of the past, including Toni Kroos, who has vehemently denied any association with the Spanish businessman.

Now, with 24 hours remaining on the clock, Perez has gone on the offensive against Riquelme, notably calling his campaign an embarrassment.

On the Klopp claim

Riquelme’s public stunts have raised a lot of eyebrows. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Riquelme’s campaign had floated the name of Jurgen Klopp as a potential managerial target, a claim Perez dismissed with barely concealed contempt.

“Last night, they floated the name of a coach to go talk to him. This coach responded to them in a few minutes, saying that he does not even bother,” Perez said (h/tMundo Deportivo).

“But didn’t they have a coach who was under contract at the start of the campaign? These gentlemen don’t care about anything,” he added.

On the Haaland hoax

Perez is not happy over the Haaland hoax. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Perez also called out Riquelme’s claim to sign Erling Haaland, which caused public embarrassment to the club, even leading to a direct message that was sent to Perez himself.

“We’ve had to endure the embarrassment of a hoax being launched on a television show to deceive the socios,” he said.

“Minutes later, the player’s father, the player’s representative, and the player himself, who was from Manchester City, categorically deny it and threaten to take legal action against them,” he added.

Finally, Perez showed great disgust at the entire episode, adding that it caused a lot of shame to himself and the club.

“This is something that surely doesn’t cause them any embarrassment, but it causes a lot of shame to all Real Madrid members and to me in particular,” he concluded.