Erling Haaland: Real Madrid presidential candidate promises Man City forward as star summer signing

Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme has promised to sign Erling Haaland if he beats incumbent Florentino Perez in the upcoming elections.

Perez is aiming to secure another term as Real Madrid's president after calling elections in a bizarre press conference last month.

Riquelme, a renewable energy entrepreneur, is Perez's rival in the election contest and faces a tough battle to convince the club's members to opt for change when voting takes place on June 7.

The 37-year-old has already unveiled former Real Madrid players Raul and Fernando Hierro as his sporting director and head of academy, respectively.

Riquelme promises to bring Haaland to Real Madrid

In a bid to further convince members, Riquelme revealed on El Hormiguero on Wednesday evening that he will sign Man City's Haaland if he wins the election.

The Real Madrid presidential candidate held up Real Madrid's 2026-27 shirt with 'Haaland - 9' on the back.

"I’m committing to signing a personal notarised guarantee for the two players I’ve announced," Riquelme said.

"If I fail to do so, I will pay 100% of the membership fees of all 100,000 Real Madrid members. Haaland has a clause in his contract and wants to come to Real Madrid.”

In addition to his audacious transfer plans, Riquelme is also set to announce his managerial pick in the coming days, having insisted that Jose Mourinho is not right for the club at this stage.

▶️Si Enrique Riquelme no trae a Rodri y Haaland siendo presidente, pagará el 100% de las cuotas de los 100.000 socios del club pic.twitter.com/cGrLtQYrGh
— BeSoccer (@besoccer_ES) June 3, 2026

Is Haaland Riquelme's Figo?

The promise of Haaland's transfer sparks memories of the 2000 election when Perez defeated Lorenzo Sanz to secure his first presidency.

Perez's campaign was built on his promise to sign Portuguese star Luis Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona, a move that seemed unfathomable at the time.

Like Riquelme, Perez told members he would pay their membership fees if he failed to secure Figo's signature.

Perez delivered on his promise, and Figo's signing sparked the era of the Galacticos at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Figo's signing was possible because he had a release clause in his Barcelona contract, something that Riquelme claims to be in Haaland's Man City deal.

However, it is unclear whether that is true, and if so, how much it would cost to get Haaland out of his contract, which is set to run until the summer of 2034.

In reality, this feels like an audacious promise that Riquelme knows that he will never have to fulfil, with Perez widely expected to secure another term as president.

There is a sense that Riquelme is using this election to build his reputation among the Real Madrid fanbase and the wider football world so he stands a better chance of becoming the club's president in the future.