Florentino Perez, the man who turned Real Madrid from an old-fashioned soccer club into a star-studded global marketing project, announced on Thursday that he will again run for president of the club in this summer’s election.
Perez led Madrid in 2000-06, when the club won two league titles and one Champions League trophy in the “galactico” era that featured high-priced stars like Zinedine Zidane, Luis Rigo and Ronaldo. “Conviction and hope lead to great projects and grand history,” Perez told a packed press conference in the Spanish capital. “You can be assured that we’re working on a spectacular project.”
Perez left Madrid three years ago after the club’s worst trophy drought in 50 years, when it went three seasons without silverware. Perez is the favorite to win the position after Ramon Calderon resigned amid a vote-rigging scandal.