Five decades at the head of Real Madrid. Or placed in a different way, for 25 years dedicated to running the best team in the world – with the exception of a temporary break between February 2006 and June 2009.
On July 17, 2000, Florentino Pérez officially took over as President of Real Madrid. The day before he had defeated Lorenzo Sanz at the polls. Sanz had called the elections after winning two Champions League titles in just three years. Of the 29,711 club members who voted, 16,469 supported Florentino, while 13,302 supported Sanz.
Since then, Pérez has led a deep transformation that has modernized every aspect of the club's structure, which changes what has described in what Forbes has described as 'the most valuable sports club in the world'. Two of the most iconic changes from these 25 years are the establishment of Real Madrid City in Valdebebas and the renovation of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
The Florentino Pérez effect in Madrid
But reaching that point required action. When Pérez first accepted the presidency, the club was charged with a debt of around € 277 million (around $ 295 million at the time). His greatest election promise was the signing of Luis Figo – a movement that immediately started to generate income for the club.
It also led in the Galácticos era: the next Figo came Zidane, Ronaldo Nazário and Beckham. Madrid made a dramatic status of the status, but in February 2006 Pérez resigned with a striking admission: “I spoiled the players and they lost their way.”
Barely three years later, in 2009, Pérez returned to Real Madrid Presidentschap. With headline-grabbing signing sessions such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Kaká and Xabi Alonso and managers such as Mourinho, Ancelotti and Zidane, the club returned to the winning ways.
Under His Leadership, Real Madrid Has won 66 Trophies: 37 in Football (including Seven European Cups – Six Of Them in Just 11 Years – Seven Club World Cups, Six Uefa Super Cups, Seven La Liga Titles) in) Three Copa delan and and all of the Copa Basketball (Three European Cups, One Intercontinental Cup, Nine League Titles, Seven Copa del Reys and Nine Spanish Super Cups).
And the winning cycle shows no signs of delay. The club recently replaced the head coaches of its four most important teams – the first and second men's football teams, the ladies team and the basketball team – in an attempt to renew the momentum and to strengthen the culture of the victory.