Florentino Perez made a surprise appearance at the Valdebebas Sports City press room on Tuesday, a press conference announced by the club just two hours before it began. The team’s poor run of form, having gone two seasons without a trophy, possible statutory changes to allow external investors, and even speculation about his resignation had fueled widespread rumors among national media.
At 18:18, after a delay of over 15 minutes, the president entered the packed press room. “I regret to inform you that I will not resign. I have asked the Electoral Board to initiate the process of calling for board elections, and this board will take part,” Perez stated. He added that he has more desire than ever to continue: “I arrive on time in the morning and leave last in the evening. Sometimes I feel frustrated for not winning any titles, but I must remind you that during my tenure, we have won 66 trophies. Some people are sharpening their knives for the elections, and now they have a chance to express their views.”
The president pointed out: “A ridiculous situation has been created against Real Madrid and me. You can’t win forever, but we don’t accept that. They are using this situation to attack me. ‘Where is Florentino?’ they ask if I don’t speak. Some say I’m sick, that I have terminal cancer. I want to say a few words to those who care about me. I continue as president of the club and chairman of my company, which annually turns over 500 billion euros. My health is excellent. If someone told me I had cancer, I’d be in an oncology center. I appear all over the world. This is not true; the rumor has spread.”
“I am the first person who wants to win everything. During my presidency, we have won 37 football titles and 29 basketball titles. I want to talk about those who are campaigning in the shadows. I invite everyone who wants to run. I will run to defend the interests of Real Madrid members. They don’t scare me. This gives me a lot of energy,” he warned. He then singled out those seeking the presidency: “There are forces that want to take control of Real Madrid, but they have not succeeded. At Real Madrid, it’s not journalists or their cronies who decide. People don’t believe them, they believe me. Journalists think they can interfere in the club’s decisions because they are important, but it’s not true. Here, the members decide. Don’t do strange things. If you want to run, step up. But don’t say behind my back that I’m tired. I can’t accept that because we didn’t win the league or the Champions League this year. They say Real Madrid is in shambles now, but it is the most prestigious club in the world.”
Florentino also addressed the Negreira case, explaining the club’s two-year trophy drought and why Barcelona has closed the gap in recent decades: “The Negreira case is a sports corruption case that is still ongoing. Some referees from that period are still officiating. We will present a document to UEFA to put an end to this and solve the problem. It’s unprecedented in world football history. We are preparing a document of over 500 pages.”
Perez insisted on inviting all members who want to run: “I don’t understand the Spanish media. They abuse the fact that they’re watching whether I’ll leave. I will not go. I will be the last member to leave. They will have to shoot me to get me out. The owners of Real Madrid are the members. If someone wants to run for election, don’t hide, step up and explain how you will finance the campaign. Don’t ask the chairman of the electricity company if he can guarantee the candidacy. In 2000, I guaranteed 174 million pesetas so that the players’ salaries could be paid. At that time, the players weren’t getting paid. I had to take that money from my own assets, and now Real Madrid’s finances are very healthy.”
He continued about the club’s financial situation: “Some say the stadium’s initial budget was 600 million euros and ended up costing 1.3 billion euros. That’s not true. The 600 million is for the first contract for the roof. After that, we built the underground sections and the stadium’s decoration. I want to put an end to this anti-Madrid trend in the press. I call for elections to defend the interests of the members. Some people, from the media perspective, and others from different fields, want to take over Real Madrid. I’ve been here for 26 years, and I won’t allow this to happen. I want that gentleman who talks to electricity companies and has a Mexican accent to step up. Let him come out! Let him and everyone who wants to run come out. Let all those who hide and don’t dare to show their faces come out.”
Regarding Jose Mourinho, he warned: “Now is not the time to talk about this, players, or anything else. There’s another priority, but we have to fight many people. I can name names from every place. Juanma Castaño, Segurola, Carreño, and that one from Relevo… Is Real Madrid so great that it has so many enemies? But they will not succeed because Real Madrid’s members are very strong, and we will win this fight.” The president declined to discuss sporting matters: “I will not talk about sports. I’m here to defend the interests of the members. If someone wants to run, step up and don’t talk behind my back. I have been elected the best president in the history of the club, and I will defend myself.”
On the conflict between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, he commented: “Players fighting in the locker room is common, even if nobody is injured. It happens every day! I think fighting is very bad, but what’s worse is that it becomes public. They give the information to the press, and you publish it. Young people fight every year, like everyone else. For me, a leak is worse than the fight because there’s another reason behind it. In my 26 years of history, this is the first time this has happened to me, and I’m worried.”
Thus unfolded the hour-long press conference, with Florentino becoming increasingly emotional. He started with a weak voice and repeated the same arguments multiple times, insisting he would run: “I am running to return Real Madrid’s property to the members, because some journalists want me to leave and are trying to take it away. But not only am I not leaving, I will run again as I did 26 years ago, and I will do so with renewed energy.” Despite his press chief’s efforts to end the conference, Perez continued answering questions, finally emphasizing his good health. “I am indeed getting older, but I haven’t seen a doctor!”