On Saturday, Florentino Perez will oversee his 1000th match as Real Madrid president when Zinedine Zidane’s side take on Eibar at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
It is over two decades since Perez first became president at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. His first game in the role came on August 25, 2000, when Los Blancos were beaten by Galatasaray in the UEFA Super Cup in Monaco.
On the pitch that day was Luis Figo, Perez’s marquee signing promised in his election campaign. It was one of the bargaining chips that allowed him to defeat Lorenzo Sans in the polls.
In his 999 games and two terms as president since, Perez has seen Real Madrid grow in stature, signing some of the biggest names in world football and winning silverware galore.
The Galacticos
Real Madrid‘s first season under Perez’s reign was full of highs and lows. There were disappointing losses to Barcelona and Boca Juniors but still a LaLiga title to celebrate at the end of the campaign.
In the years that followed, Figo would be joined by a host of other superstar signings, such as Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario and David Beckham.
After beating Bayer Leverkusen to win La Novena in Glasgow, Perez’s presidency stagnated as success on the pitch dried out.
After 334 matches – 194 wins, 66 draws and 74 defeats – six coaches and seven trophies, Perez resigned as president in February 2006.
The return
Perez’s successors didn’t have much luck arresting Real Madrid’s slump so, with his energy and ambition renewed, he set about a second term.
With it came more big-name arrivals. In the summer of 2009, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso walked through the door.
Despite the fresh investment, Real Madrid‘s struggles continued, particularly in Europe. During the 2012/13 season, in a last 16 tie against Manchester United, Perez overtook Santiago Bernabeu as the president with the most matches overseen in European competition in the club’s history with 116.
Key men
With Jose Mourinho‘s spell as coach over, Carlo Ancelotti took charge of Perez’s 561st game as Real Madrid president at the start of the 2013/14 season.
The Italian inherited a squad that had been built to compete on all fronts. Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema all feature in the XI with the most appearances during the Florentino era. Casillas (528 games), Ramos (527) and Benzema (545) have all featured in over half of the president’s matches.
Isco, Toni Kroos, Raul and Guti complete this XI. As for captains, Ramos has held the armband the most under Perez, followed by Casillas, Raul, Fernando Hierro and Marcelo.
Delivering La Decima
Real Madrid‘s coveted 10th European Cup was won during Perez’s second tenure as president – in his 620th match in charge to be specific. Ancelotti’s side did the deed in Lisbon, beating Atletico Madrid in extra time.
Only Barcelona (52 meetings) have played against Perez’s Real Madrid more frequently than Atletico on 48 meetings. During that time, Los Blancos have won 21 of their Clasicos with their Catalan opponents.
In the dugout, Zidane has been Florentino’s most trusted deliver of silverware. The Frenchman has won 11 trophies as Real Madrid boss – almost twice as many as second-place Vicente del Bosque on six. Mourinho completes the podium with three titles.
On Saturday, Florentino will make history, becoming the second Real Madrid president to reach 1000 games. He still has a far way to go to overtake Bernabeu, though, who presided over 1402 games.
