FIFA president Gianni Infantino has offered public praise for Florentino Pérez through an Instagram post, a gesture that arrives as Pérez seeks re-election as Real Madrid president.
The endorsement appeared Wednesday, shortly after Pérez attended the Champions League final in Budapest as FIFA's guest at the end of May. During that visit, Pérez met with Infantino to discuss the future of football—an encounter the FIFA president described in glowing terms.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
The election backdrop
Pérez called surprise elections ahead of schedule during a press conference on May 12. The poll is set for June 7, marking the first time in over two decades that he faces a genuine challenger. His opponent, 37-year-old renewable energy CEO Enrique Riquelme, has made bold promises regarding signings and managerial appointments, publicly naming club legend Raúl González as his proposed sporting director.
The incumbent's campaign slogan—"much more history to make"—has drawn high-profile endorsements from former players including Karim Benzema, Luka Modrić, Casemiro, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo Nazario, who declared at Pérez's campaign launch: "President, you are the best and always will be the best!"
An alliance of influence
Infantino and Pérez operate in overlapping spheres of power within global football. The Real Madrid president championed the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, a position that aligned with Infantino's own ambitions for increased revenue at the top levels of the sport. Their relationship, described as close, reportedly played a role in Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu being selected to host the 2030 World Cup final.
Infantino's public words arrive just days before the election—an odd moment for a FIFA president to comment on a club matter that, formally, lies outside his jurisdiction.