Article
03 July 2009
Realmadrid.com
Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez offered an extensive interview to Spanish television's Cuatro on Friday night.
His return:
“I have a huge repsonsibility because I had to return to the club I love so dearly. My mission is to generate excitement with great players. It is the only way to generate income.”
“I have to block out the passion and pressure that exists in football. I am here to build a business model, and that passion must prevent me from thinking about anything else. My job at Real Madrid is to ensure this model works from a business point of view.”
“I left Real Madrid because I thought I had accomplished my goal. During the phase previous to this one, the big name acquisitions we made should have been replaced by others to fuel the big contracts we have. This is what I thought was wrong from a sporting standpoint. From an institutional point of view, there were several upheavals that really destabilized us.”
Sports model:
“Financial insitutions loan money to individuals and companies if they are guaranteed to recover it. I have proven that great footballers produce great results.”
“The fact that Almeria can beat Real Madrid is what makes football attractive. There are many factors on the field of play that influence this sport.”
"Real Madrid is the club of humanity. It is a club that has known how to transmit its values throughout its entire history.”
Global economy:
“I have never witnessed such a complicated economic situation such as this one. In Spain we have also been affected by the real estate bubble, but I am sure Spaniards will overcome the difficult times.”
Players:
Benzema:
“30 June was the last day we could sign Benzema. He is a great player.”
Villa:
“We couldn't wait any longer on Villa. Valencia said he was not transferable so there was nothing we could do. You can never say a deal is closed in football. You never know what may happen in the future, but right now Valencia do not want to sell him, which is why we opted for Benzema, another great player.”
Xabi Alonso:
“He is a great player... We have until August to negotiate. He would serve Real Madrid well.”
Ribery:
“The current situation is that Bayern do not want to sell him.”
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