Against Haaland, €150 million for a player. That is the promise made by Florentino Pérez, who has once again switched into “Galáctico mode” to counter the impact of Enrique Riquelme, his rival in the race for the presidency of Real Madrid. “As for Haaland, everyone has denied it, so it must be a bluff… I don’t want people who destabilize the club,” Florentino said on the program Horizonte, referring to Riquelme’s campaign promise to sign Manchester City’s Norwegian striker.
“As for Haaland, everyone has denied it, so it must be a bluff.”
Pérez revealed that he is preparing an offensive move for a world-class footballer.
“I want to share some news. On Tuesday, I will make a major offer to a Champions League club for a great player. It would be the largest transfer fee Real Madrid has ever paid in its history. It would be around €150 million. A clue? I can’t give one—I’m already telling you what we’re going to do.”
“Olise is a great player, but it’s not Olise. Nor is it Doku… We’re going to make a significant offer, at least €150 million. The player will most likely be from midfield forward. It’s not Haaland. And it’s not someone from the Premier League. The first thing we’ll do is speak with the club. It’s a signing meant to excite people, because that’s what this is about—creating excitement,” Florentino continued in response to questions from Iker Jiménez.
Florentino Pérez argues with fans as security removes anti Florentino banner in seconds
“Olise is a great player, but it’s not Olise. Nor is it Doku.”
“The player will most likely be from midfield forward.”
The club’s value
“According to Forbes, the club is worth €10 billion, but I think they’re off by another €10 billion. When I arrived, we didn’t even have enough money to pay salaries. The players weren’t getting paid. That was the situation in 2000 when I took over. Now, in 2026, it is the most valuable club in the world, and that gives me great satisfaction.”
His bond with Real Madrid
“My father used to take me to the stadium when I was three or four years old. I was very young. He instilled in me this feeling called Madridismo. When I saw there was a possibility the club was heading down the wrong path, I stepped in in 2000. I personally guaranteed €147 million, and the financial problems were over. Now there is no club worth more than Madrid, for the fifth consecutive year.”
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“There is no club worth more than Madrid, for the fifth consecutive year.”
The level of expectation
“The level of expectation has always been high, and now we lead all rankings—financial, revenue, image… We have educated our fans to demand excellence, and that is motivating. But no one has won as many European Cups as I have, along with a total of 66 titles.”
“No one has won as many European Cups as I have, along with a total of 66 titles.”
Mourinho
“It means he will come to Real Madrid next season. I’m excited because we know him. He taught us tremendous competitiveness, and after he left, we won six Champions League titles as a result of the mentality he gave us. Now he is motivated to win the Champions League again.”
Real Madrid’s history
“Real Madrid has a history, and every player wants to come here. That’s a reality. Nobody has Madrid’s history. If you are the richest club in the world, you will have the best players in the world.”
The Tchouaméni–Valverde incident and the club’s situation
“It’s nonsense to say two players had a fight; that’s normal. What’s not normal is for someone inside the club, acting with bad intentions, to leak it. Everything that happens at Madrid has enormous repercussions. I had detected a conspiracy between some media outlets and certain individuals to destabilize the club. We couldn’t continue like that, which is why I called elections. I wanted to cut it off at the root.
What a coincidence that those trying to destabilize the club are from a dark period in Madrid’s history. In 2008, a major controversy erupted at the club and I had to return. It was an era when people who weren’t members were getting into General Assemblies. It was a bad, toxic board—one of the worst periods in the club’s history. Now the sons of those people who smuggled outsiders into the Assemblies have appeared. And I said, ‘Well then, Florentino, time to start over again.’”
On Mourinho again
“Mourinho gave us great competitiveness. He is a great coach. After he left, we won several Champions League titles almost consecutively. He did a fantastic job, creating tremendous unity within the team. I have a lot of confidence in Mourinho.”
Selling the club
“The idea of selling the club is nonsense. What I want is for the members to be the owners of the club—not only emotionally, but economically as well. I would be privatizing it with the members, who are the club’s owners. To say that I want to keep the club for myself… if I had wanted to do that, I would already have done it. My dream is for the club’s economic owners to be its members. If I had wanted to keep it, I would have kept it already.”
