Perez was always political. He contested the elections in Spain. Later, an enterprising Perez became the Chairman and CEO of the country’s largest civil engineering company, effectively him a billionaire.
Perez’s controversial presidential campaign using Luis Figo
Perez’s campaign for the presidency of Real Madrid was controversially centered around the signing of Luis Figo from rivals Barcelona. He promised the club that he would bring Luis Figo from Barcelona if he won the election. He tried to seize the presidency from Lorenzo Sanz by using Luis Figo as his Trojan Horse.
Perez cunningly crafted a 1.6 million euro contract with Figo to bring him to Real Madrid from Barcelona. The terms of the contract were clear - if Perez did not win the presidential election, Figo could keep the entire money and remain in Barcelona.
For Figo, it was pretty straightforward, as Lorenzo Sanz was the favorite to win the presidential election; he could keep the money and not leave. However, Perez also included a clause - if he won the election and Figo chose to stay, he would have to pay €19 million in compensation.
Perez also made a mouth-watering promise to all the Real Madrid members. Club members could attend all the home matches for free this season if he couldn’t bring Figo after winning the presidency. He would fund this operation by using the €19 million received from Figo or Barcelona as compensation if he chose to stay.
The message he sent to the Real Madrid members was clear - If I win the elections, I will make Figo come, or I will make Barcelona pay for your tickets for the entire season.
Perez’s policies and economic success
Perez won the presidency, Figo had to come, and thus began the era of the Galacticos. With Perez, came a lot of success in the form of trophies. Perez made the club debt-free with great financial structuring. He also fully exploited the marketing potential of Real Madrid to make it a truly global club with supporters across different continents.
He signed superstars so that they could promote Real Madrid as a brand in foreign markets. This generated a lot of revenue, which in turn helped further their Galacticos project. Real Madrid have emerged as an economic superpower, ahead of all the other clubs. His policies are very well articulated.
During his tenure, he won a combined total of five Champions League trophies, only one less than what the great president Santiago Bernabeu won.
Controversies surrounding Perez
Despite his success, he is often criticized for his decisions. He was heavily criticized for the poor treatment of many club legends, such as Casillas, Ronaldo, Zidane, and Ramos. He became a devil-incarnate when he introduced the Super League project, although he proposed this radical movement to protect his club’s interests.
However, UEFA has had its own share of controversies. To put this into perspective, we have to scrutinize the financial activities of UEFA. Big clubs across Europe expressed their discontent with UEFA by joining hands with Perez on his Super League project. Instead of adopting a confrontational approach, UEFA must try to pacify the dissatisfied clubs in order to counter the Super League.
The legacy of Florentino Perez
Florentino Perez is bold and never hesitates to pursue unpopular policies for the greater good of the club. He manages the economic affairs of the club flawlessly. While most clubs are suffering during the pandemic, Perez’s excellent management of the economy made Real Madrid register a profit despite renovating the Bernabeu.
Despite his poor reputation and controversies, Perez’s name is etched onto footballing history as one of the most influential men in the game. A flawless economic genius and player of the mind game, Perez’s legacy will be remembered for a long time to come.
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