Madrid’s normally quiet Tuesday afternoon was shattered when Real Madrid suddenly announced that President Florentino Perez would hold a press conference at the sports city. The announcement caused immediate shockwaves, especially given the club’s recent internal turmoil. Speculation ran wild: some believed Perez would unveil a new coach, such as Jose Mourinho; others thought he might follow the script of 20 years ago and step away during a storm, or even retire. There were also whispers that he wouldn’t announce any major decisions, but simply clarify responsibility for the club’s two trophy-less seasons.
**Denying Resignation Rumors and Confronting Journalists**
Originally scheduled for 6 PM, reporters packed the room early, cameras primed for a big story. Around 6:20, Perez entered with his press officer and immediately dispelled resignation rumors: “Unfortunately, I must tell you that I will not resign. I have asked the Electoral Committee to begin the process of board elections, and we will participate in them.”
He added that he made this decision due to personal attacks. “In sport, you can’t always win, but they’ve used this situation to attack me personally. Some have even spread false rumors that I have a terminal illness. I take this opportunity to tell those who care that my health is perfect, and I remain Real Madrid’s president.” He emphasized that the club is not his alone: “It is owned by 1,000 members. I made this decision because of an absurd situation created by smear campaigns against the club and myself.”
Before the press conference, Spanish newspaper *ABC* reported that Perez had said he was “tired” during a board meeting, fueling speculation about his resignation. Perez directly confronted the paper’s journalist: “That newspaper which ‘loves me so much’ wrote that I was ‘very tired.’ Do you think I would say something like that at a time like this? That journalist, are you here? Let me say hello. Why did you publish such a thing? I wake up early and go to bed late, working myself to the bone. I understand everyone’s frustration because we won nothing this year. But I must tell you that during my presidency, we won 66 football and basketball titles, including seven Champions Leagues. I cannot tolerate certain media dominating the narrative. I had to stop this. Less than two years ago we won La Liga and the Champions League, and now you’re saying Real Madrid is in ruins and chaos? How can you say that?”
Perez then engaged in a heated exchange with the *ABC* journalist: “Look at the two articles you published today, written by someone who knows nothing about football.” He referenced his first presidential election in 2000: “If anyone wants to run for Real Madrid president, don’t bluff—just come forward and run, as I did in 2000 with financial guarantees. I guaranteed over 170 million pesetas to pay the wages of Roberto Carlos or Illgner. I must stop this wave of anti-Real Madrid sentiment and defend the interests of the members.”
During the Q&A, he again targeted local media: “I’ve been watching what the media does. We are the best football club in the world. Why must I tolerate them saying Real Madrid is in chaos? Anyone who wants to run for president can do so. I have enough money to be club president without resorting to any tricks.”
Throughout the press conference, Perez was visibly agitated. He relentlessly attacked the media, frequently interrupted reporters’ questions, and answered impatiently. At one point, the press officer tried to end the session, but Perez signaled to continue. He only stopped after unloading all his pent-up frustration.
**Attacks on La Liga and Barcelona**
Perez did not address any sporting topics—neither the team’s performance over the past two seasons nor future personnel changes or transfer plans. When asked about the widely rumored return of Jose Mourinho as coach, he cut off the reporter: “Today we are not discussing anything related to sports. Our focus now is to ensure Real Madrid truly belongs to its members. I need to defend myself and the club. We are not talking about football today; there are more urgent matters to address.”
When questioned about the team’s poor results and recent dressing-room conflicts, Perez said: “I’ve had seasons where I sacked three coaches before—this isn’t the first time. Players fight each other isn’t new either; they do it every season because they are highly competitive. What’s different this time is that someone spoke openly about it, and we know who that person was.” He once again highlighted his achievements: “No one has won seven Champions League titles during their tenure.”
Unsurprisingly, he brought up Barcelona and the Negreira case: “Three years ago we learned about the Negreira case—the biggest scandal in history. We will submit a detailed dossier to UEFA so they can fundamentally resolve this issue for the good of world football.” He claimed that Barça paid the head of referees for 20 years, which he said cost Real Madrid several La Liga titles. “We could have won 14 La Liga titles, but we only have seven. The others were stolen from us. How can I not intervene in the Negreira case? This is a corruption case that has lasted for years, and the same referees are still there. This season we made a video showing the 18 points they took from us. If anyone watches Real Madrid TV, they will see it.”
Perez also took aim at La Liga: “Our greatest enemy has always been La Liga.” Real Madrid has long had a strained relationship with the league, not only over the European Super League but also over broadcast revenue distribution and overseas matches. The club was the only one that did not participate in La Liga’s ‘Retro Matchday’ promotional campaign this season. He then jokingly criticized city rival Atletico Madrid: “Thank God Real Madrid belongs to its members, not a bunch of journalists—I imagine they are all Atletico fans. As I promised, I will return the club’s assets to the members, unlike those club presidents who take over clubs and then sell them for personal profit.” This was a clear reference to Atletico, whose majority stake was recently bought by US fund Apollo Global Management.
**’Trump-Style’ Speech Sparks Outrage**
“Thank you all for coming. I will return here, not for myself, but for all members. If those anti-Real Madrid voices continue to interfere, I will come here and do my best to express my thoughts to defend Real Madrid members. Florentino Perez will not leave unless the members want me to.” He ended the press conference with that statement, leaving the many journalists he had savaged.
The media did not hold back their criticism. *Marca* wrote: “Florentino’s appearance was unbearable—neurotic, manic, stubborn, repetitive to the point of narcissism. He revisited the same topics six or seven times and engaged in pointless arguments with colleagues. His views on the media remained unchanged: he dislikes those outlets he cannot control, and their growing influence. His speech was full of half-truths; he never mentioned his plan to sell 49% of the club’s shares. And when it came to the European Super League, he conveniently dropped the Negreira case. It was a classic Trump-style speech, but with Biden’s energy.”
*AS* journalist Jose Felix Diaz wrote: “Around 4 PM, Real Madrid’s president suddenly announced a press conference. In the next two hours, the media speculated what he would say after the board meeting. Given the extraordinary circumstances, people expected a deep analysis of why the team performed so poorly this season. But that’s not what happened. What could have been a critique of the first team’s season turned into an attack on certain media, blaming them for the season’s problems. Perez believes now is not the right time to talk about sports. But beyond his war with the media, what Real Madrid fans really want to know is the future direction of the first team. The members know the club will not fall into crisis under the current structure, but they still don’t know where this team, which won the Champions League and La Liga just two years ago, is heading.”
*ABC*, the newspaper he directly confronted, wrote: “Florentino tried to cover up Real Madrid’s season of failure with an unhinged attack on our paper. He called for elections to challenge his opponents and blamed the media for conspiring to destroy him and the club.” The paper also published a separate article stating: “*ABC* will not lower its standards or back down. We will continue to fulfill our journalistic
