Real Madrid president to be elected on Sunday

MADRID, June 30 (Reuters) The new president of Real Madrid will be chosen on Sunday when club members vote for one of five candidates bidding to take charge of the nine-times European champions.

The 85,000 ''socios'' have been subjected to just over a month of intense campaigning from construction magnate Juan Miguel Villar Mir, businessman Juan Palacios, former president Lorenzo Sanz and lawyers Ramon Calderon and Arturo Baldasano.

The winner will be expected to turn round Real's sporting fortunes after their worst run of form in 52 years and determine the future direction of the biggest-earning club in world football.

Each candidate has presented his programme backed up with a daily diet of radio, television and newspaper interviews, promotional meetings and visits to supporters' clubs.

In keeping with the tactic that helped former president Florentino Perez to win the election in 2000, big-name player signings have been promised and a steady stream of potential newcomers has been leaked to the media.

One of the favourites, Villar Mir, has even managed to get Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo to publicly say he will try to negotiate a move away from Manchester United.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben, England's Michael Carrick, Italy's Gianluca Zambrotta, Spanish internationals Cesc Fabregas and Jose Antonio Reyes and Brazil internationals Kaka, Adriano and Emerson are among the high-profile players that other candidates say they will bring to the club if elected.

All the candidates agree that the emphasis needs to be put back on the sporting development of the club, and have distanced themselves from the Perez era when marketing and image appeared to be the priorities.

NEW COACH Equally, they have all stressed the need to develop players from the club's youth set-up and give them more opportunities in the first team.

With no coach in place following the departure of Juan Ramon Lopez Caro to Racing Santander at the end of the season, another key battleground has been who to bring in to run the team.

The names of Arsenal's Arsene Wenger, England's Sven-Goran Eriksson, Juventus's Fabio Capello and former Real boss Vicente del Bosque have all been bandied about by the candidates.

Most club members say they have yet to make up their minds which candidate they will support.

The leadership crisis at Real was triggered by Perez's shock resignation in February.

The construction tycoon surprised everyone by throwing in the towel after his six-year experiment in putting together an all-conquering ''galactico'' superteam had collapsed around him.

Perez's successor Fernando Martin lasted only two months before the club's continued poor form on the field, unrest among fans and a boardroom power struggle led to his removal and the calling of an election.

Arch-rivals Barcelona are not due to hold a presidential election until next year. Their president Joan Laporta was elected in 2003 on the back of a promise to sign David Beckham.

Laporta failed to honour his pledge but signed Ronaldinho instead and Barca won back-to-back league titles and a long-awaited second European Cup.

REUTERS PM BST0924