Florentino Pérez and Enrique Riquelme, candidates for the Real Madrid presidency, are locked in a boxing match, trading blows with announcements of spectacular transfers. The outgoing president is promising, in particular, the arrivals of José Mourinho on the bench and Ibrahima Konaté, whilst his rival is banking on Rodri and Erling Haaland… Without the Norwegian’s consent, it seems.
The standoff continues between Florentino Pérez and Enrique Riquelme, and it will last until Real Madrid’s presidential election, to be held next Sunday. The two candidates are trading blows, making a flurry of sensational announcements in a constant bidding war that sometimes gives the impression of a contest that is more childish than political. An endless battle of egos.
The Haaland imbroglio for Enrique Riquelme
Riquelme, who intends to unseat Pérez, has notably promised two major signings if he is elected. He got straight to the point: “Erling Haaland and Rodri would be my star signings if I became president of Real Madrid,” he said on the programme El Hormiguero on Wednesday. On the show, the 37-year-old candidate produced a Real Madrid shirt, the 2026–2027 version, with the Norwegian’s name and his number 9 printed on the back.
The problem is that the Manchester City striker’s entourage has categorically denied reaching an agreement with the Spanish businessman. “It’s all very entertaining but not true. We wish both candidates in the Real Madrid elections the best of luck,” said Alfie Haaland, Erling’s father, and Rafaela Pimenta, the player’s agent, in a statement sent to Fabrizio Romano.
Pérez announces Mourinho and Konaté
At the same time, Pérez has also been making a series of bold statements. After confirming José Mourinho’s appointment as manager should he be re-elected as Real Madrid president, via his official campaign X account, the current Real Madrid boss announced that no star players (Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham) would be sold. He then teased the signing of centre-back Ibrahima Konaté.
“If I am elected president, Konaté will be my first signing and he will play for Real Madrid,” the Madrid boss told the newspaper AS, whilst the French international, a free agent, is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the month. According to Romano, a four-year contract awaits the former Leipzig player if Pérez wins the election. The same applies to Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), as the Madrid boss is preparing to trigger his €20 million release clause. The final days of the campaign promise to be exciting.
OM: The Ultimate Achievement
Driven by its passion, OM eventually overturned the French hierarchy in Europe – where so many others had failed – closing the gap through a gradual rise to prominence in the late 1980s, before making a major impact in 1993. The spotlight is on Marseille for this third instalment of the Maxifoot feature on the history of French clubs’ UEFA coefficients.
Marseille did not build its current status – as France’s third-ranked club – on a single campaign, but on a series of memorable runs. A semi-finalist in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1988, then in the European Cup in 1990, and an unfortunate finalist in 1991 against Red Star Belgrade (0-0, 3-5 on penalties), the Marseille club racked up the points.
It was gradually closing in on the top of the French league. This consistency, in a climate where performances were increasingly valued, enabled it to quickly close the gap on Saint-Étienne.
Forever the champions
The crowning moment came in 1993. Facing AC Milan in the final of the very first edition of the Champions League as we know it today, OM won 1-0 thanks to a header from Basile Boli. This historic victory, a first for a French club at this level, propelled Marseille to the top of the national UEFA coefficient rankings. In that single campaign alone, the club amassed a total of 21 points, well above the standards of previous decades, reflecting the evolution of the points system.
But unlike ASSE, whose clear dominance spanned a full decade, OM’s reign proved to be shorter-lived. The club failed to capitalise on its triumph and saw its coefficient stagnate, whilst its rivals continued to rack up points. It is against this backdrop that Girondins de Bordeaux, AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais began to challenge the Marseillais.
In the 21st century, a mixed European record
When OM returned to regular European competition in the late 1990s and 2000s, the situation had changed. The club then alternated between early exits and epic runs, reaching the UEFA Cup final three times: in 1999 against Parma (0-3), in 2004 against Valencia (0-2) and in 2018 against Atlético Madrid (0-3). The only French club to hold a star for 32 years, OM failed to build up a sufficient points cushion to compete sustainably with the new French powerhouses of the early 21st century. Starting with the Lyon TGV of the 2000s…
Other clubs that made their mark during this era include Paris Saint-Germain, who reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, the Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup, before going on to win the UEFA Cup in 1996… only to lose in the final in 1997. AS Monaco reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 1994, the UEFA Cup in 1997, and then the Champions League again in 1998. AJ Auxerre were knocked out on the brink of the UEFA Cup final by Dortmund following a cruel penalty shoot-out in 1993. AJA reached the quarter-finals of that competition in 1990 and 1998, and then of the Champions League in 1997. Girondins de Bordeaux were beaten by Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup final in 1996. That same year, FC Nantes were semi-finalists in the Champions League.
