Riquelme has challenged Perez in the election – the first time in 20 years Perez has not stood unopposed – following two seasons in which the club has won no major trophies.
The 37-year-old has run on a campaign of vast giveaways, including a promise to build a members’ city for fans of the club in the area surrounding the training base including swimming pools, padel courts and a basketball arena.
He has also suggested reducing the annual membership fee by up to 50% if the team does not win the Champions League next season.
Riquelme also opposes Perez’s decision to hire Jose Mourinho as the club’s manager. That appointment can only be formally confirmed if Perez wins the election.
The team behind Riquelme’s campaign has hinted that former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is their main target for the position.
“My coach is the one Real Madrid fans wants,” he said on Wednesday, without revealing a name.
When asked about Klopp in an interview with The Athletic last month, Riquelme said: “Naturally, I would love for profiles of that calibre, and others like them, to coach this club.”
Perez, meanwhile, has pledged to reinvigorate the squad with new signings of his own and to reduce the inter-team disputes which marred the second half of the season after Alvaro Arbeloa replaced the sacked Xabi Alonso as manager.
“I always say that in football you don’t always win,” Perez said on Wednesday.
“We haven’t achieved the expected results, but we’ve identified the problems. The team couldn’t have a pre-season due to the Club World Cup, and that hampered us all year.
“We had almost 30 injuries in the first half of the season and that was a decisive factor.
“We’re already working to face the challenges of the new season.”
The campaign has been characterised by repeated attempts from both sides to ridicule the opposition.
The team backing 79-year-old Perez purchased advertising space during Riquelme’s appearance on El Hormiguero – a long-running chat show featuring puppets and novelty variety acts – in which they announced Mourinho as the team’s new manager and called on members to back their candidate.
