Perez wins Real Madrid presidential vote, extending reign after first real challenge in decades

Madrid – Florentino Perez will continue as Real Madrid president for another four years after winning a rare contested election, securing 65 percent of the vote. The club's first genuine presidential challenge in two decades saw renewable energy tycoon Enrique Riquelme garner 35 percent of the ballots cast by 33,555 members.

Riquelme conceded defeat early Monday, stating, "Real Madrid will not go another 20 years without an election." He had pitched himself as a candidate to bring members closer to the club and opposed Perez's plan to allow outside investors a stake.

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Real Madrid will not go another 20 years without an election.

Perez, who first became president in 2000 and had previously been re-elected unopposed five times since 2009, called the result "extraordinary." He declared it "the second-best result in the history of Real Madrid elections" and promised significant investment, including a potential club-record 150 million euro signing and interest in Benfica manager Jose Mourinho.

The election comes after two consecutive seasons without silverware for the 15-time European champions. Perez's campaign also included pledges to sign defenders Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries. Benfica confirmed Real Madrid's interest in Mourinho, stating a 15 million euro release clause would need to be paid.

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This has been a great day for Real Madrid. We have won across the board, that is to say, across all age groups. And we have achieved the second-best result in the history of Real Madrid elections.