Real Madrid Just Pulled an Embarrassing Stunt Before the World Cup

While the World Cup has taken the attention of the soccer world with it beginning this week across three different countries in North America, one of the most famed clubs in the world is stealing the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

For the first time in 20 years, the presidency at Real Madrid was put to a vote, as reigning chair Florentino Pérez defeated opponent Enrique Riquelme.

What was supposed to be an election between two adults turned into the equivalent of two grade school students promising free pizza, as both Pérez and Riquelme continually boasted what top talent they’d bring to Madrid if made president.

It goes so bad that Riquelme, hoping to pull off the miracle win, told fans that if he was given the president role, that Erling Haaland from Manchester City would come to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Even though Haaland and his family rejected the statement, it didn’t stop both sides from continuing to hype up their projects they’d bring to Madrid in case of being elected.

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While Pérez won, it was also behind his claim that Real Madrid would be soon bidding for a $173 million superstar that would send seismic waves across the sporting world. Fans of the club started theorizing about the likes of Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise or Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé.

On Tuesday, though, it was announced officially by Real Madrid that the player they were bidding after was Argentina and Atlético Madrid’s Julián Alvarez. The team stated that they offered their La Liga rival $150 million for the star striker, but were ultimately denied.

Pérez, now re-elected, can now publicly say that he didn’t lie and did go after a superstar talent with a gigantic offer. But in reality, it was all a farce, akin to pro wrestling, where Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid both knew that nothing was going to come of the offer.

In the end, it was the same as those kids who try to say that they’ll stop teachers from handing out homework if they’re picked as class president.

Now, at a time when fans would be hurling insults, their attention will be thrown towards the World Cup, with Spain as one of the favorites to win it all.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 3:08 PM.