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Ssince Florentino Perez become real Madrid President for the first time in 2000, he has proven time and time again that he is a man of anything.
Now Los Blancos supporters are hoping Perez shows his magic again as he seeks to do Kylian Mbappé the last ‘galactic’ in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
However, signing the Frenchman is the president’s most formidable challenge to date, given that since Qatar Sports Investments took over PSG in 2011, they have consistently refused to enter into dialogue about selling key players.
Nonetheless, Perez will feel emboldened by the ability he has demonstrated in the past to complete signings of world-class players against all odds.
Figo: An earthquake
On July 12, 2000, the newly elected Perez said how confident he was that he could attract Luis Figo to the Barcelona club.
“Yes [Luis] Figo will not join Real Madrid, I will pay the club members’ subscriptions for a year, “Perez said.
Just 13 days later, the Portuguese star was presented as a Real Madrid player under a 72 million euro contract, an astronomical sum for the time, much to the dismay of the then Barcelona president. , Joan Gaspart.
Zidane and the towel
The following season Real Madrid focused on signing Zinedine Zidane from Juventus.
The Frenchman had written to Perez on a napkin at a Champions League awards ceremony in Monaco of his desire to join the club, but Luciano Moggi was unwilling to sanction the deal.
“I said [Zidane] that I will tell Florentino Perez that I will not let him go, “Moggi said.
However, Zidane’s decision was already taken, as he made a record-breaking € 77million transfer to the Spanish capital that summer.
Ronaldo: On the high seas
In the summer of 2002, Inter president Massimo Moratti made it clear that star striker Ronaldo was by no means for sale.
“Ronaldo has to start to understand that sometimes in life you have to adapt to situations that do not meet his wants or expectations,” said Moratti.
“He will stay at Inter whether he likes it or not.”
However, a meeting between Perez and Moratti on the high seas marked a turning point, as Real Madrid went on to sign the Brazilian for € 55million.
Beckham: from “never” to “yes”
While the summer of 2003 started off in a disappointing way for club supporters, the mood was heightened by the arrival of David Beckham from Manchester United on a € 25million contract.
The Old Trafford club had systematically rejected for months the idea of ​​the Englishman’s departure, but in the end the appeal of Los Blancos proved too strong.
Owen: Lightning
A year later, Real Madrid unveiled their latest “galactic”: Michael Owen.
The € 12million deal to sign the England striker surprised everyone, as even the player himself was unsure if he had made the right decision, given how quickly the offer was made. to join Los Merengues had arrived.
“I decided I had to go, but even so, I was crying pretty much all the way from my house to the airport,†Owen said.
“Part of me never wanted to leave.”
2009: The great summer
Florentino Perez marked his return to the club in 2009 with a summer of huge investments, with the arrival of Karim Benzema, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa.
However, the icing on the cake was the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, who achieved a world record transfer worth € 94million, after Manchester United granted him permission to negotiate a transfer with Real. Madrid.
Modric and Bale: Chapters one and two with Tottenham
Before Nasser Al-Khelaifi arrived at the scene, arguably the toughest negotiator Perez had to face was Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy.
The Real Madrid president knew that if he was to bring in Luka Modric in 2012 and Gareth Bale in 2013, those deals hinged on the players actively ending their stays in north London.
Modric refused to travel with Tottenham for their tour of the United States in 2012 and accepted the club’s 100,000 euro fine before moving to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
In September 2013, the Croatian was joined by Bale as he wrapped up his € 90million move to Real Madrid, not having participated in his pre-season campaign from Tottenham.
Danger: the price of gold
Real Madrid’s last major signing was Eden Hazard, who arrived at the club in June 2019 from Chelsea.
The Belgian still had a year on his contract at Stamford Bridge, but Zidane’s desire to bring him in that summer gave Chelsea an advantage.
The deal ended up worth 100 million euros, although it has since been reported that this figure is considerably high.
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