Real Madrid president Florentino Perez held a press conference on May 13, addressing ongoing criticism and speculation about his future. He stated that everything he does is for the club, and his father instilled in him the duty to protect Real Madrid. Asserting his unwavering position, Perez declared, “They’ll have to shoot me to remove me.”
Reflecting on financial struggles, Perez noted, “There was a time when players weren’t paid, and even the person collecting the trash bins wasn’t paid. I’m not asking for constant praise, but what the media is orchestrating…”
When asked if this was his most intense moment, Perez responded, “I’ve watched what the media does. People like Segurola and Relaño think they invented football. We call them ‘establishment intellectuals.’ We are the best club in the world. Why should I tolerate them claiming Real Madrid is in chaos? If anyone wants to run, let them step up. I have enough money to be president without any shady dealings. My goal is to transfer the club’s assets to its members. If Real Madrid is worth 100 billion euros, each member would receive 100,000 euros. I won’t leave until members are the economic owners of this club. Those who vote for me are members, not journalists or ultra fans from the South Stand.”
Addressing members’ primary concerns, Perez said, “The biggest fear is losing ownership of the club. If five journalists conspire to say Real Madrid is a mess, and I don’t defend it, there will be a problem. I don’t take money from Real Madrid, nor do I seek profit or attention. I live a low-key life, and I know I haven’t defended the club enough—just 66 titles. I’ll try to do better.”
Talking about the members, Perez emphasized self-criticism. “Members should not criticize their own players or boo them; they should support them. But there are bad actors among them. We’ve already identified those since we expelled the South Stand ultras. Also, ticket scalpers are under investigation. We’re working with police to control ultra groups; they won’t enter the stadium anymore. The whole world congratulated me for keeping ultras out. They want to oust us. It hurts to see players booed for a mistake. Fans should encourage them on the pitch. What is this? The Colosseum?”
Regarding boos at home, Perez stated, “If Real Madrid plays poorly, fans can boo. But there’s a campaign pushing people who are angry at poor performances to boo their own players. These are our players—booing them is like booing your own child. Those influenced by ultras and the so-called ‘Ámbar movement’ are heating things up for Thursday’s match. Let them shout ‘Florentino resign.’ Then run against me in the election; they’ve never confronted me directly. Everything I do is for Real Madrid. I must protect the club. My father taught me that. They’ll have to shoot me to remove me.”
“I don’t want to say what they demanded from Real Madrid players in the past. Journalists think they have great power, but they have none because people are intelligent. José María García caused great damage before. Others replaced him, thinking attacking Real Madrid would make them important. They’ll have to shoot me to remove me because I have the support of all Real Madrid members.”
“And what about other clubs? What’s going on with Atlético Madrid? Why aren’t they attacking them? No club in history can compare to Real Madrid. Do they want us to win 10-0 every day? We’ll achieve that, don’t worry.”
Perez concluded, “Thank you all. If they continue to attack Real Madrid, I’ll come here again and speak my mind in the way I see fit, but always to protect the members. Let those ‘establishment intellectuals’ or those ‘May ’68 people’ keep talking about Real Madrid… Thank you. I wouldn’t mind doing this again; perhaps such dialogue is necessary. The enemies of Real Madrid in the media have been identified. As long as members don’t want me to leave, Florentino will stay.”