Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme emulated Florentino Pérez last night on El Hormiguero. As the current Real Madrid president did in 2000, Riquelme announced a stellar signing and publicly committed to compensating Real Madrid members if that player did not join the white club. In 2000, it goes without saying, Florentino Pérez’s big signing was Luis Figo. Riquelme, in this 2026, announced that he has signed Erling Haaland, Manchester City striker; that the commitment is sealed by a notary and that “if I fail to fulfill any of my electoral promises, I will pay 100% of the membership fee for the 100,000 Real Madrid members”.

Before the first World Cup semifinal, it was easy to jump on the bandwagon of those who saw France as the favorite. No one underestimated Spain, far from it, but Deschamps’ team was the one leaving the best impressions in the tournament, without a doubt. Four top-level forwards placed them as the best attacking team. “We are facing the best team…”, De la Fuente began telling his players in the locker room, before they went out to warm up at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. It was only a prelude to the message he wanted to convey, the concept that is leading him to success. “… But we are the best team,” he concluded to energize the players before attempting what would become an overwhelming storming of the Bastille. July 14 will also be a national holiday in Spain because it opened the way to fight for the red team’s second star.