Florentino Perez declares that Jose Mourinho will be the next Real Madrid manager if he triumphs in the election

Perez, who is up against renewable energy entrepreneur Enrique Riquelme in the club's first contested election in two decades, made the campaign announcement via his social media accounts by sharing a brief video featuring Mourinho simply saying: 'Yes!'

The video came after the slogan 'So MOUch history to be made', a clear reference to the Portuguese coach. He guided Real Madrid to a record points tally in La Liga in 2012, but his last league title was with Chelsea in 2015.

The decision to bring in Mourinho follows a disappointing domestic campaign during which Barcelona secured back-to-back league titles.

Real Madrid, 15-time Champions League winners, have also been eliminated from Europe's top club competition at the quarter-final stage in the past two seasons. The absence of major silverware prompted Perez to call elections.

Perez's announcement came while Riquelme was appearing on the Spanish television programme El Hormiguero, where he stated that Manchester City midfielder and Spain captain Rodri would be his first signing if elected.

He also said he would target Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and that former forward and club legend Raul would be his sporting director.

Since leaving Chelsea, Mourinho's trophy haul has been more modest. He won the League Cup and Europa League with Manchester United, and later led AS Roma to the third-tier Conference League title.

His managerial career has also taken him to Tottenham Hotspur, Fenerbahce and Benfica, where he was under contract until June 2027 and had previously said the Portuguese club had proposed a renewal.

While pundits argue that the game has moved beyond Mourinho's pragmatic style, Perez appears to see him as the manager to restore discipline and edge to a squad featuring Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.