Real Madrid superstar striker Kylian Mbappe is under more pressure than anyone else at the club heading into the 2026/27 season, because while Florentino Perez and the club are firmly backing their big investment from the summer 2024 transfer window, patience among the Madridistas is quickly wearing thin after two trophyless seasons for the Merengues juxtaposed with back to back Champions League conquests in Paris.
Mbappe has been particularly woeful in the past couple of months, meanwhile left winger Vinicius Junior, whose shine Mbappe took away, ranks second behind only Bayern Munich marksman Harry Kane in goals so far in the calendar year 2026.
And now, Mbappe has reason to worry about his future if his biggest advocate loses the Real Madrid presidential elections. While that scenario is highly unlikely, Enrique Riquelme is doing his best to build momentum, and his ultimate dream signing that he promises to Real if he wins the election is actually bigger than people expected; it may even be bigger than Luis Figo to Real Madrid to kick off Perez's first reign, minus the rivalry component.
An old dream target resurfaces for Real Madrid
According to Sky Sports Germany, via the Madrid Zone, in addition to Manchester City star and Ballon d'Or midfielder Rodri unsurprisingly being the superstar signing from Spain that Riquelme is guaranteeing, the presidential hopeful is promising Erling Haaland from the very same team this summer if he were to win.
While Haaland does not sound like someone who is leaving any time soon, Manchester City went trophyless this season, too, and the legendary Pep Guardiola has stepped down. Change is in the air at the Etihad, and everyone knows Haaland always dreamed of Real Madrid. He was actually supposed to join Madrid, not Man City, in 2022, but Florentino Perez unwisely blocked his transfer in order to sign Mbappe, who memorably rejected Real and Florentino at the last second despite having a handshake agreement to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
So it would be a strangely poetic moment for Erling Haaland to replace Kylian Mbappe as the main striker at Real Madrid while Enrique Riquelme replaces Florentino as president in 2026 if the former were to win the election.
It seems like total fantasy at this point, but there will be some Madridistas who look at what Riquelme is saying and get their hopes up. Of course, Riquelme is smart. He knows everyone loves Haaland, the man with the record of most goals in a Premier League season and a true 9 who loves Madrid, while many do not care for Mbappe. It is a ploy, but it is an intriguing one, nonetheless.
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