Top facts about Florentino Pérez, Mr. Champions League

Who is Florentino Pérez and where did he come from? And how did he end up as Real Madrid's chairman? Despite his fame, few people are familiar with his past. Read on to find out about the most important facts about the Spanish businessman.

Florentino Pérez is unfathomable without Spain, and the nation is unfathomable without individuals like Florentino Pérez. Real Madrid's president has risen to the top of the footballing industry by being a smart businessman, a careful negotiator, and, above all, extremely well networked.

Florentino Pérez age

is 74.

Perez is most famous for his tenure as president of Real Madrid. He is the club's most successful president, having won six La Liga titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Perez branded

an ‘imbecile’ and

‘abnormal’ in audio recordings dating back to 2012 that have been recently leaked.

Top facts about Florentino Pérez:

The first

fact about Florentino Pérez

is that he is a Spanish entrepreneur, civil engineer, and ex politician who is now the President of

as well as the Managing director of Grupo ACS, a civil engineering firm.

Perez was born on March 8, 1947. He was also the first and only president of the European Super League, a planned breakaway football league that was established via a limited-liability corporation in Spain but had to cease activities in April 2021 owing to regulatory problems with UEFA.

Florentino Pérez early life

Florentino Pérez was born in Madrid on March 8, 1947, the son of Soledad Rodríguez Pérez and Eduardo Pérez del Barrio. His father was a renowned businessman, owner of several perfumeries and president of the Coperlim Company until his retirement. Florentino was the third child of five. He has two older sisters and two younger brothers, and is the one in the middle.

Florentino majored civil engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and spent his early years working for the government. He dabbled in politics before refocusing his efforts entirely on business.

Perez began his career with the Madrid city council, where he had a modest administrative position managing a less-than-exciting initiative on the country's public roadways.

Perez was soon given a job with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. He was halfway up the greasy pole, but there was still a long way to go before he reached the summit. As part of the capital's administration, he was also involved in environmentalism.

Florentino Pérez personal life

Florentino Perez was married to María Ángeles Sandoval (who died in 2012) and is the father of three children. Florentino Pérez's business frenzy experienced a turning point in 2012. Without warning, death took his wife, María Ángeles Sandoval, “Pitina” from him. They were married for 42 years. This blow changed his life.

The important fact about Florentino Pérez is that to insulate himself from the damage, the president immersed himself in the offices of the Bernabéu. There he dedicates himself, solely and exclusively, to what he does best: work.

Тоgеthеr, thеу hаve twо ѕоnѕ, Еduаrdо Рérеz Ѕаndоvаl аnd Flоrеntіnо Рérеz Ѕаndоvаl аnd а dаughtеr nаmеd Маríа Ángеlеѕ Рérеz Ѕаndоvаl. Не іѕ currently ѕіnglе.

Florentino Pérez as a politician

Between 1976 and 1983, Perez developed his political career with the Unión de Centro Democrático (UCD). During that period, he held different positions in the Public Administration such as the delegate of Sanitation and Environment of the Madrid City Council (1976-1979), deputy director general of Promotion of the CDTI of the Ministry of Industry and Energy (1979-1980), director General of Transport Infrastructures of the Ministry of Transport (1980-1981) and President of IRYDA of the Ministry of Agriculture (1981-1982).

The notable fact about Florentino Pérez is that despite his advancement, Florentino remained dissatisfied. He didn't stay long in his new job; the PRD was disbanded following the Spanish elections of 1986. Pérez chose to pursue his goals elsewhere when his party did not get enough votes to gain a seat in parliament.

Florentino Pérez as a businessman

Florentino took a risky step by foregoing a career in politics in favor of a life that was even more ruthless. He decided to pursue a career in business and take on a new adventure. He bought a tiny, insolvent construction company named Padrós with a small group of pals and turned it around. He had built the foundation for what would become a global business empire, though he didn't realize it at the time.

Pérez spent the next several years expanding his company, taking advantage of Spain's burgeoning construction sector and winning many contracts for his new firm. That business has been one of the driving engines of the Spanish economy for the last several decades, for better or worse.

The important fact about Florentino Pérez is that he became a significant participant in worldwide business after combining Padrós with another huge firm in 1993. He founded ACS at that time, which is today one of the world's largest construction firms.

Florentino Pérez and the presidency of Real Madrid

Florentino Pérez is also the president of Real Madrid. In two stages, he has combined his business activity with the presidency of the considered best football club of the 20th century. During his tenure, Real Madrid has been with the club with the highest current income in the world for more than ten consecutive years. And he has won four European Cups in five years, which made him reach a historical figure.

In addition, Forbes has considered Real Madrid's most valuable club in the world, with a valuation of 3440 million dollars.

Florentino Pérez first term at Real Madrid

In 1995, Perez ran for the first time in the Real Madrid presidential elections against Ramón Mendoza and Santiago Gómez Pintado. Despite being the candidate that obtained the highest number of signatures to endorse the candidacy, he was in second position, just a short margin behind Ramón Mendoza.

The notable

fact about Florentino Pérez

is that his second effort was more fortunate, as he was elected President of Real Madrid in 2000, defeating Lorenzo Sanz, the incumbent president. Sanz believed that his previous UEFA Champions League victories in 1998 and 2000 would be enough to secure the votes but Pérez's approach, which once again highlighted the club's financial difficulties and allegations of mismanagement by past directors, showed otherwise.

Pérez's pledge to sign

from Barcelona's arch-rivals also helped him win the elections. In 2004, Pérez was re-elected with 94.2 percent of the vote. Pérez's strategy of bringing the greatest soccer players in the globe to Real Madrid each season began with Figo. The tactic was originally known as Zidanes y Pavones, since superstars would play with the Canteranos, but the players were quickly dubbed Galácticos.

was acquired from Juventus for a then-world-record €77.5 million transfer price in 2001. In 2002, he was succeeded by Ronaldo,

, Michael Owen, and, for a brief period in 2005, Robinho. Pérez's strategy initially worked well, as each new Galáctico had a squad formed around them and the club had a solid mix of offense and defense.

The important fact about Florentino Pérez is that Real Madrid won two Spanish titles and a record eighth UEFA Champions League in his first two years in office. Pérez claimed to have cleared the club's debt, however director Ramón Calderón refuted this assertion.

Fernando Hierro said many seasons after departing Real that Claude Makélélé was the team's most essential and least recognized midfielder, stating, "The departure of Makélélé marked the start of Los Galácticos' demise... As you can see, it was also the start of a new era for Chelsea."  Real Madrid did not win a title from the 2003–04 campaign forward, because to the departure of Coach Vicente del Bosque and Makelele.

Despite the fact that Pérez's strategy led to greater economic achievement by using the team's high brand value throughout the globe, particularly in Asia, it was increasingly criticized for focusing too much on selling the Real Madrid brand and not sufficiently on the game. On February 27, 2006, he announced his resignation, admitting that the team and the club as a whole required a new path.

Florentino Pérez second term at Real Madrid

Throughout the 2008-2009 season, there was speculation about the possibility that he would run again as a candidate in the presidential elections scheduled for June 14, 2009, which he finally confirmed on May 14.

The notable fact about Florentino Pérez is that on June 1, 2009, he was sworn in as president of the club, being the only candidate, which marked his return to office three years after his resignation.

For that 2009-2010 season, he hired Coach Manuel Pellegrini, whom he presented on June 2, a day after his inauguration. He also made a multimillion-dollar investment of 264 million euros for the signing of eight players, among which are: Cristiano Ronaldo 96 million euros,

65 million euros, Benzema 35 million euros,

30 million euros.

The team played in the Championship until the last days and was runner-up, with 96 points, and only three from Fútbol Club

. On May 31, 2010, José Mourinho's contract was signed to take over the first team.

With the Portuguese coach at the head of the Blancos team, the Copa del Rey was achieved in the 2010-2011 season against Fútbol Club Barcelona, ​​which the club had not achieved for 18 years.

In the 2011-2012 season, Real Madrid achieved the so-called 'League of Records', since it won the National League Championship, which it had not won since 2008, with a historical record of points (100) and goals (121).

In September 2012, he obtained by a large majority the modification of the statutes of Real Madrid, in which he tightened the rules to run for the presidency of Real Madrid (20 years of membership and personal assets, without third party endorsement, of 15% of the budget club expense chart). This amendment was endorsed by the Supreme Court six years later.

Mourinho's third and final season at the helm of the first team, season 2012-2013, concluded with the Spanish Super Cup win against Fútbol Club Barcelona. At the end of that season, on May 20, Florentino Pérez confirmed the departure of the Portuguese coach and called elections for the club's presidency, having concluded his term. He was re-elected as there were no more candidates.

In the 2013-2014 season, the two sections of the club led by Carlo Ancelotti and Pablo Laso, respectively, were proclaimed champions of the Copa del Rey in soccer and basketball, beating Fútbol Club Barcelona in both the final, and both teams played the finals of the highest continental competition. In basketball they won in the 2015 Euroleague final and in football, in the extension of the 2014 Champions League final, achieving the historic "Tenth" European Cup.

Another notable fact about Florentino Pérez is that in January 2016, he signed Zidane as coach of the first team, after a legendary career as a 41st player, and Real Madrid won the "Eleventh". However, this was only the beginning, since Zidane's second season at the head of the team also brought numerous triumphs, to which it is added that Real Madrid became the first team to repeat the Champions League title by winning the Twelfth.

The last two seasons of Zidane were also full of titles: the 2016-2017 League, the third European Super Cup and the second Club World Cup, and already at the start of the 2017-2018 season, again the European Super Cup and the tenth Spanish Super Cup. With the Club World Cup won in December 2017, the record for titles won in the same year - five - was broken and 2018 culminated with the Thirteenth Champions League for Real Madrid.

On January 31, 2014, Florentino Pérez announced the winning project in the competition to design the new Santiago Bernabéu, which, in Florentino's own words, “[…] will continue to be a privileged territory for emotions, it will remain in the heart of our city and will be the vanguard and icon of modern football. A Bernabéu for the pride of all our members and fans.”

The new stadium will be surrounded by a roof with a Led system that will vibrate and allow the stadium to communicate with its surroundings, and a giant screen will be installed on the eastern facade to show the interior of the stadium in special moments. This sustainable project will also feature the latest technological advances and will be safer and more comfortable for fans.

Likewise, in the new Bernabéu, commercial, leisure and restaurant areas, a hotel and underground parking will be built; the works are designed to allow construction not to hinder the sports calendar.

Real Madrid was also champion of the League in one of the most unusual seasons in the history of this competition, that of 2019-20. An unusual year, as the health emergency caused by COVID-19 forced UEFA, RFEF and La Liga to make the decision to suspend the respective competitions in mid-March. The competition resumed with the improvement of the health situation. With this title, Real Madrid has thus 34 Liga championships to its credit.

On April 13, 2021, Florentino Pérez was re-elected as president of Real Madrid, after no other candidate was presented for the club's presidency.

Florentino Pérez as the president of the Super League

The important

fact about Florentino Pérez

is that he was appointed the inaugural president of the Super League, a separatist league made up of some of Europe's biggest soccer teams in April 2021. Pérez "had been the main factor behind most of it; it was, to some degree, his invention," according to The New York Times.

The Super League had been in the process for 3 years, led by Pérez and

of Juventus; nevertheless, the last stages were hurried, and loyalty among the twelve teams, rather than the fifteen as initially intended, seemed to have been formed under duress. The presentation was surprisingly poorly prepared and lacking of genuine substance, and the alliance, which was prone to collapsing beneath stress, soon disintegrated.

Pérez conveyed the hope that the fresh rivalry would "offer higher-quality games and additional monetary resources for the overall top division pyramid, provide considerably higher financial development and support for European football via a lifetime engagement to uncapped cohesion payments that will grow in line with league revenues and appeal to a fresh youthful generation of football fans."

The European Super League (ESL) was announced on April 18 and was met with widespread criticism from supporters, athletes, coaches, officials, and rival clubs, as well as UEFA, FIFA, and national governments.

Much of the opposition to the ESL stemmed from fears of elitism and a lack of competition within the tournament, which would have included only the best teams from a few European nations.

In response to the league's creation announcement, nine of the participating teams, including all six English clubs, announced their decision to leave.

After the resignation of the other teams, the surviving members of the ESL stated that they will "reconsider the most suitable measures to restructure the initiative." The ESL announced its suspension of operations three days after it was founded.

Commentators claimed that the ESL would make domestic tournaments unimportant and lower tier in comparison to the Super League, and that it would undermine the concepts of promotion and relegation; Pérez subsequently responded that the ESL will include a promotion and relegation system.

Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and

, who were allegedly approached by the ESL and given between 14 and 30 days to join, but who declined to join in the tournament and openly criticized the idea, were not invited, according to Pérez. Pérez highlighted the EuroLeague as an example, claiming that the EuroLeague rescued European basketball and that the Super League will do the same for football.

Following the reaction and withdrawals, Pérez said that none of the original teams had formally left the association, since they were bound by contracts, and promised to work with the regulatory authorities to make the Super League function in some form.

Pérez maintained that the Super League idea was just on hold and not finished, criticizing English teams for losing their nerve in the face of resistance and soccer authorities for behaving unjustly violently.

In reaction to UEFA's penalties and the possibility of Real Madrid and the other teams implicated being barred from UEFA tournaments, Pérez said that this would be "illegal" and that the law protects them.

The Super League filed a lawsuit with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on May 31 in response to UEFA and FIFA's requests to halt the competition's organizing.

On June 7, the Swiss Federal Justice department and Law enforcement notified the Spanish precautionary indicator which had previously issued an injunction toward UEFA and FIFA, and referred a cuestión preliminar (English: preliminary question) to the CJEU on whether UEFA and FIFA had violated articles 101 and 102 of the TFEU, and ordered both governing bodies to refrain from imposing sanctions against clubs.  The three teams were officially accepted to the UEFA Champions League for the 2021–22 season on June 15th.

Florentino Pérez leaked messages

An important fact about Florentino Pérez is that he was recently embroiled in a new El Confidencial controversy involving a slew of stolen audio recordings from 2006 to 2012, in which the Real president was recorded tearing the life out of everyone.

He said about Ronaldo and Mourinho, "This guy [Ronaldo] is a moron, a lunatic. Do you believe he's a regular guy? He isn't normal; if he were, he wouldn't do what he does. Everyone on the planet saw his most recent blunder. He [Ronaldo] and the manager [Mourinho] don't see the truth because if they were different, they might make a lot more money. They're both unusual since we're dealing with a significant sum of money in image rights.

Perez continued about the coach, "Mourinho is a complete moron. It's not as if he doesn't want to participate. Well, he's a little odd...that said, the stress has gotten to him."

Everyone knows that the Spanish ex captains of the team are among the legendary figures, but Florentino Pérez didn’t show any respect in the leaked messages, “What can I say, [Casillas] is not a Real Madrid keeper. He's never been that way.

He's been our greatest blunder. The issue is that everyone adores him for reasons I don't understand. He has a large number of supporters. But, in any case, he is one of the greatest con artists.”

He continued, "But, in any case, he's one of the greatest liars, second only to Raul. Raul and Casillas are the two greatest Real Madrid swindlers. Zidane is a fantastic person. And there's [David] Beckham and Ronaldo, but there are others who believe... let's see.

Raul is a deplorable person. He considers Madrid to be his, and he makes use of everything in the city, exploiting everything for his personal advantage. He and his representative. They are to blame for Madrid's poor performance.”

He even said that the reason behind his resignation in the first term was Raul, “Look, I left for a variety of reasons, one of which was him. He's a downer who's wreaking havoc on Madrid.”

Florentino didn’t even show respect to one of the greatest coaches that Real Madird had, “He is clueless when it comes to coaching and tactics. He's a knucklehead. No one wants to hire Vicente del Bosque since everyone knows he isn't a coach. The Del Bosque nonsense is the greatest falsehood I've ever seen.”

Perez went on, "Inquire about Besiktas president [Yildirim Demiroren's] feelings. [Jose Antonio] Camacho is the coach, not [Del Bosque]. When [Luis] Figo arrived, he got close to Raul, and the two of them, together with [Fernando] Hierro, controlled the team. Vicente wasn't supposed to be there. He's said to be taking over the national team, which is exactly what they need.”

Del Bosque was appointed as Spain's coach in 2008, and during the following four years, his team won the World Cup and the Euros.

Florentino Pérez social media

Regarding

Florentino Pérez social media

, it should be mentioned that he does not like to share his private life with the people, so he does not have any Instagram or Twitter pages.

Florentino Pérez body measurements

Speaking about

Florentino Pérez body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the Spanish club president is 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) and weighs 168 lbs (76 kg).

Florentino Pérez net worth and salary

Florentino Perez net worth

is around $2.2 billion (£1.5 billion) in early 2021. His fortune came mostly from his construction company, but Real Madrid, with a market value of $4.75 billion (£3.2 billion), remains a worldwide football superpower.

Indeed, following earnings of nearly €700 million the previous year, Madrid and Clasico rivals Barcelona were at the top of the Deloitte Football Money League in 2021. There is no reliable information on Perez's pay as president of Real Madrid.

His compensation package as a majority stakeholder and vice-president of ACS, however, was disclosed in 2016. Perez was paid €5.93 million (£4.76 million) in 2016, according to El Confidencial, a salary that included performance-related incentives.

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