Madrid - Most fans and members of Real Madrid are keen for Florentino Perez to return as club president, according to polls in the news media.

According to the Marca sports daily - its poll results splashed on Tuesday's front page - Perez would get the support of no less than 62.9 per cent of club members, if the elections were held now.

No other potential candidate comes close to Perez, according to Marca.

1980s Real and Spain defender Manuel Sanchis would get 15.1 per cent if he stood, Juan Palacios - who narrowly lost to Ramon Calderon in 2006 - would get 7.1 per cent, Juan Miguel Villar Mir 3.2 per cent, Eugenio Martinez Bravo 2.4 per cent and former Telefonica president Juan Villalonga just 1.4 per cent.

Perez, 61, has still not announced if he will stand, though these online polls will probably encourage him to do so.

It has already been rumoured that he would bring back Zinedine Zidane - one of his "Galactico" signings during his previous reign -as either sporting director or "global ambassador."

Perez, one of Spain's most important construction magnates, narrowly lost the 1995 Real elections to incumbent Ramon Calderon. Five years later, however, he defeated Lorenzo Sanz - Mendoza's chosen successor - largely by "stealing" Luis Figo from historic rivals Barcelona.

His six-year reign, from 2000 to 2006, is fondly recalled today by Real fans nostalgic about the "Galacticos" that he brought to the Estadio Bernabeu.

Zidane followed in the wake of Figo in 2001, Ronaldo in 2002, David Beckham in 2003 and Michael Owen in 2004. Under Perez' high- profile rule, Real won two Spanish leagues (2001 and 2003) and one Champions League (2002).

However, things went wrong towards the end of his reign and he abruptly resigned in February 2006, confessing that he had "spoiled" the "Galactico" stars.

Calderon quit as club president on January 16 after Marca had revealed a vote-rigging scandal at the December 7 annual general assembly.

Calderon passed on the presidency to close friend Vicente Boluda, who has announced that elections will be held at the end of the season.