Florentino Pérez: “Our unity has been the foundation for one of the most successful periods in our history”
“Everything we are comes from hard work, sacrifice, constant improvement, the pursuit of excellence, humility, respect and solidarity,” said the club president at the opening of the 2025 Ordinary General Assembly.
Florentino Pérez opened the 2025 General Assembly of Delegate Members, which was held in person and online at the basketball pavilion at Real Madrid City. The Real Madrid president began by commemorating the Madridistas who have left us and whom we will always remember.
"You represent the members of Real Madrid, and that comes with great responsibility. I am grateful for your work, your loyalty and your commitment. And also for the affection and support you show me, which I have always received from you. This year, you have once again placed your trust in me to continue as club president for the next four years."
"Since I became president of Real Madrid in 2000, 25 years ago now, I have worked to ensure that this club continues to occupy the place it deserves because of its history and what it represents for millions of people. And I have done so with a firm belief in the values that have guided us and which are the cornerstones of everything we have managed to achieve throughout our 123-year history. Everything we are comes from hard work, sacrifice, constant improvement, the pursuit of excellence, humility, respect and solidarity."
Unity
"In this spirit, we have managed to build a large family, the great Real Madrid family that you all represent in this Assembly. And here we see unity reflected as a symbol of Real Madrid. This club is an example of how the unity of all of us has been the foundation for one of the most successful periods in our history.”
Legacy
"Over the last 15 years, together we have won 58 trophies: 30 in football and 28 in basketball, including six European Cups in football and three European Cups in basketball. Being part of Real Madrid is a way of life. This crest is a symbol of joy and success, of hopes and dreams, but it also represents a commitment to a specific way of doing things."
Real Madrid Foundation
"Our Foundation's work benefits 400,000 people every year through more than 1,400 projects that form our solidarity network in over 100 countries. Every one of these projects and our socio-educational schools spread across every continent generates excitement and hope for those who have very little."
"Today, the Real Madrid Foundation remains the world's largest private organisation dedicated to integration and cooperation through sport. Last season, it managed nearly €30 million for all its projects. Real Madrid is and always will be a club that stands in solidarity with others, and it will never fail those who need us most."
Sporting project
"Here are the two trophies we won last season: our sixth European Super Cup, secured in Warsaw, and the Intercontinental Cup, won in Qatar, our ninth world club title. We continue to add further trophies to a list of achievements that is unique in the history of football, and we should be proud of what this team has accomplished over the last 15 seasons continuously, winning a total of 30 trophies: 6 European Cups, 6 Club World Cups, 5 Uefa Super Cups, 5 LaLiga titles, 3 Copa del Rey trophies and 5 Spanish Super Cups."
"It was a very hard season with serious injuries that deprived us of players such as Carvajal and Militão for the whole year. Others, such as Camavinga, Mendy, Alaba and Ceballos also sustained significant long-term injuries. But our desire, and also our responsibility, is to continue improving so that we can aspire to achieve everything. We have worked on a new initiative to pursue a sporting strategy that has long delivered great results for our team: a mix of extraordinary players who, in many cases, are the best in the world in their positions, and young talents who are emerging in football."
"And we are also fortunate that they are players who love Real Madrid, who are Madridistas at heart. That has been instrumental in keeping them here with us and in achieving all the successes we have enjoyed. This year, we have also brought in Xabi Alonso as our coach, who embodies the values of Real Madrid. He knows our club well because he won everything as a player wearing our shirt."
Recognition and admiration
"I would now like to ask you to take a moment to recognise and admire those who have ended their time with us and who have contributed to making Real Madrid even greater today. And I would like to start with Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful coach in our history, winner of 15 trophies. Carlo Ancelotti has earned our affection forever because he also represents the values of Real Madrid."
"We would also like to express our admiration and gratitude to one of the players who will forever be part of Real Madrid, our beloved Luka Modrić. He belongs in the hearts of Madrid fans for what he has represented and for being an example of Real Madrid's values both on and off the pitch. He is the most decorated player in our history, with 28 trophies, including a record six European Cups."
"And now we would like to express our gratitude to one of our greatest home-grown players, Lucas Vázquez. He has also been a model of good behaviour and hard work. And he has always represented the values instilled in this Real Madrid City since he joined our club at the age of just 16."
"And finally, I would also like to thank another player who has ended his time with us: Jesús Vallejo. He has always helped us by being a model of hard work and professionalism."
Youth academy
"We are proud to boast the best youth academy in the world, something that has been backed up by statistics in recent years. Currently, 199 players who came through Real Madrid's youth academy are playing in professional leagues. At the moment, 83 per cent of professional football teams in Spain have players who trained at our Real Madrid City."
"Last season was the best in the history of our youth academy. 13 of our 17 teams were crowned league champions in their respective categories, which is a historic record. One of Real Madrid's most iconic youth players, Álvaro Arbeloa, is the new coach of Castilla, in his sixth season as coach of our youth academy."
"Our gratitude goes out to Raúl González, who has been the coach of our youth academy for seven years, six of them as coach of Castilla."
Women’s football
"Our team finished as runners-up in the league again last season and qualified for the Women's Champions League for the fifth consecutive time. In this competition, they finished among the top eight teams in Europe for the second time. This year, our team is coached by Pau Quesada, who was part of Real Madrid's youth academy for three seasons."
Basketball
"Here is our 38th league title. Our basketball team has won 28 trophies in the last 15 seasons: 3 European Cups, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 8 leagues, 7 Copa del Rey trophies and 9 Spanish Super Cups. This latest league title, brilliantly won, is not just another title. It is Real Madrid's 100th basketball trophy. And that is something to be proud of for all Madrid fans."
"We wanted to give a new impulse to strengthen the basketball section. Sergio Rodríguez, one of the greatest legends of Real Madrid and European basketball, has joined as the new sporting director of the section. And for this new sporting project, we have brought in Sergio Scariolo, one of the most prestigious coaches in world basketball."
Acknowledgements
"And in the Real Madrid basketball department, some outstanding figures have come to the end of their time with us, and I would like to express our gratitude to them. First of all, to our former coach, Chus Mateo. A homegrown talent who has represented the values of our club during the last three seasons at the helm of our team. A period of dedication and hard work in which we won six trophies."
"And our gratitude goes out to players who have also given their all for this shirt, such as Musa, Ndiaye, Hugo González, Sergio Ibaka, Rathan-Mayes and Bruno Fernando."
"And I would like to give a very special mention to the person who has served as Real Madrid's basketball director for the last 15 seasons: Juan Carlos Sánchez Lázaro. And also thanks to the person who has been the technical director and also someone very important during this period. To another of our legends, Alberto Herreros."
Financial situation
"This past season, our club's revenue reached €1.185 billion, representing a significant increase of more than 10% over the previous year. This figure further consolidates our leading position in the sports industry."
"Real Madrid remains the most solid club in the world of sport. And I am confident that with our capacity for growth and innovation, with the new Bernabéu, and with the ambition that has characterised us throughout our history, we will face new challenges so that Real Madrid remains one of the world's leading clubs in the coming years.”
Patrimony and facilities
The Bernabéu
"Now I am going to talk about the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Just a week ago, we saw how our stadium was projected to the world as a symbol of pride for Madrid and for our country, on the occasion of the NFL match between the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Commanders, the first official NFL match in Spain. A historic day at the Bernabéu."
"This project is the result of our work, the work of all Real Madrid members, our perseverance and our determination to overcome all kinds of difficulties, as we have done throughout our history. With the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium of the 21st century, Real Madrid is prepared to remain the best club in the world, as we were in the 20th century, and as recognised by FIFA in 2000."
"The Regional Government, the City Council and our club have joined forces once again for the good of this city, this time to create Europe's most important technology district in Real Madrid City."
“We are working tirelessly to develop a technology district on 85 of its 120 hectares that will help us all grow and serve as an example of innovation and cutting-edge technology around the world. And because we believe that technology should be our strongest ally, I will also mention that we are taking significant steps to be pioneers and make one of our greatest dreams, and that of all Real Madrid fans, a reality. We want our fans in every corner of the world to be able to watch our team's matches as if they were actually in the stands at the Bernabéu. This is what we call the Infinite Bernabéu.”
Reflections on the current situation in football
"I recently heard someone say that Real Madrid is against everything. And obviously that's not true. We simply oppose anything that is not normal or ethical. And, naturally, anything that is not legal. It is not normal, and it is not legal, as three courts have already ruled in the Super League case, to try to prevent clubs from organising their own tournaments."
"Nor is it normal for European clubs to be forced to play competition formats mandated by UEFA that are designed to favour its power balance. When these formats detract from the spectacle and harm the fans."
"It is not normal that, in the 21st century, watching football on television is becoming increasingly expensive, when technology allows for models, even free ones, that benefit fans. An increasingly expensive product only alienates football fans, who are pushed towards other more affordable entertainment options."
LaLiga and the Miami proposal
"It is not normal for the president of LaLiga and the president of the Spanish Football Federation, who are responsible for ensuring the integrity of the competition, to promote a match that distorts the league. It is not normal for them to support Barcelona having the advantage of playing one fewer match on their opponents' home ground. Even their own captain, Frenkie de Jong, does not think this is normal."
"And we still have to listen to Mr Tebas comparing this nonsense to the global spectacle staged by the NFL at the Bernabéu. And once again, he is fabricating a narrative with the sole aim of attacking Real Madrid. The NFL event was impeccable, legal, respectful and in line with every rule of its competition. And the comparison is absurd, because the NFL's international event does have the backing of all 32 clubs and players in that competition."
"And I'll continue. The standard of Spanish refereeing is also not up to par in a league that prides itself on being one of the best in the world. And it's not just my opinion, because it's a disgrace for Spanish football that FIFA did not select a single Spanish referee from the 35 referees chosen for the recent Club World Cup. Not one."
Negreira Case
"And, of course, it is not normal that Barcelona has paid the vice-president of the referees more than €8 million for at least 17 years. Whatever the reason may be. The vice-president of the refereeing association who, as everyone knows, held key positions in the refereeing system. Among other things, he was responsible for communicating the promotion and demotion of referees each season. A period of almost 20 years that also coincides, incidentally, with Barcelona's best sporting results in our country."
"It is not normal for the president of LaLiga to promote an investment fund such as CVC, mortgaging the future of Spanish football for 50 years; that is, for half a century."
"It is not normal for LaLiga's directors to now earn more than €6 million a year. They earn much more than Premier League executives, even though the Premier League generates much more revenue than LaLiga. There really is no explanation for this."
"Nor is it normal for LaLiga to grant bilateral contracts to certain clubs, to which it pays additional sums in exchange for alleged services rendered. These bilateral contracts should not exist, and if they do, all clubs should be clearly informed of the terms and conditions, so that they can verify that no favourable treatment is being given to anyone."
"And it is not normal for LaLiga to contract, with our money, the services of a lobby to influence the drafting of the Sports Law. They hired this lobby with the aim of secretly introducing amendments that would serve to expropriate our commercial assets for life, in favour of LaLiga."
Alert
"The presidents of the three clubs that are members, Barcelona, Athletic Club and I were alerted by the Minister of Culture and Sport. We realised that neither the PSOE nor the PP leadership were aware of this and that, therefore, everything was being done outside the framework of the two main political parties. This prevented any abuse."
“Ultimately, it is not normal for football to be governed by leaders who conduct themselves in this manner, who attack the assets of clubs and who, in short, only seek to protect their privileges.”
"Real Madrid is possibly the only sports club in Europe with the social, institutional and economic strength necessary to confront this battle."
"We are the most successful football club in sporting terms and also, as we have seen before, the most prestigious and the most recognised in economic terms."
"And, above all, our greatest strength is that we are one big family united by the values and legendary history of Real Madrid."
Support
"But I also want to tell you that we are not alone. Far from it. Certainly, we are the ones raising our voices in public, but there are many football clubs and players who, in private, ask us to keep fighting and to do so on their behalf as well. And that's normal, because they suffer from the same problems as we do. I'll give you three examples of this: the CVC deal, the Miami match and the Negreira case."
CVC
"With regard to the agreement with CVC, I can confirm that many clubs regret the deal. They have realised that losing 11% of their television revenue for half a century, 50 years, was a mistake that will weigh heavily on their future."
"The CVC deal is a burden on Spanish football. But we are confident that it will be overturned by the courts. We will take it all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary."
"As an anecdote, I would like to remind you that Barcelona also initially opposed CVC's operation in court, alongside Athletic Club and ourselves. Coincidentally, Barcelona withdrew from this lawsuit at the same time that LaLiga authorised the registration of players in the future."
"The reality is that the so-called LaLiga Impulse Project with CVC only has two winners: it has boosted the salaries of LaLiga executives and CVC's profits."
"Let me share a thought here: how far away we are from the time when the president of LaLiga took office in 2013, reducing his salary to €348,000. At that time, Mr Tebas considered the €395,000 earned by his predecessor, President Astiazarán, to be excessive. It turns out that Tebas has increased his salary more than tenfold, at the expense of clubs that have to sell their players in order to survive."
"The Miami match is another prime example of what is happening in Spain, and how difficult it is for most clubs to speak out against football leaders."
"Despite widespread opposition to the Miami match, as far as we know, not a single club reported the situation to the Higher Sports Council. Not one. Only Real Madrid did so. And this is yet another example of what I mentioned earlier. We have the institutional strength to deal with these situations, which are clearly against the interests of the clubs themselves."
"This matter has not been settled. Now it is time to determine who is responsible. The president of LaLiga and the president of the Federation have promoted an irregular match that violates the rules and, in our opinion, has clearly distorted the competition."
"And we must also mention what was yet another embarrassment for the image of Spanish football. The way in which the protest by all LaLiga players was handled, as shown on television broadcasts of each match, was a disgrace in front of the whole world. We all witnessed LaLiga's shameful and unacceptable censorship at this stage of the 21st century."
"Such autocratic behaviour, typical of other times now long gone, would have no place in any serious competition in Europe and would lead to the immediate dismissal of the president of LaLiga. Something similar has happened in the Negreira case because, despite public outcry, Real Madrid is the only club that has appeared in the Negreira case legal proceedings as an injured party, when in fact all parties were injured."
"But you will agree with me that it is not normal that at least four Barcelona presidents have agreed to maintain, for at least 17 consecutive years, a system of multi-million-euro- euro payments to the vice-president of the referees. And you will also agree with me that the Negreira case should have caused a radical change in Spanish refereeing and federation structures."
"This has not been the case. Only cosmetic changes have been made to cover up the situation. The new president of the referees, Fran Soto, has called for a fresh start and has literally said that we should think about forgetting the Negreira case. The truth is that most of the referees who were there during Negreira's time are still there."
"In light of all this, I wonder: does anyone think it's normal that some Real Madrid players have won more European Cups than league titles? Let me remind you that some of them have won up to six European Cups in recent years and only four or five league titles. For example, Carvajal, Modric, Kroos and Nacho."
"It is also intolerable that the president of LaLiga, whose animosity towards Real Madrid is well known, currently holds the vice-presidency of the Spanish Football Federation, which is the body responsible for Spanish refereeing."
Super League
"And now I will say a few words about the current status of the Super League project. We continue to insist that it is an indispensable project for the future of football because, without it, the gap between English football and the rest of Europe would be definitively unbridgeable."
"The Super League has already achieved, without question, a great success for football. We have permanently dismantled, in record time, a UEFA monopoly that had lasted more than 70 years and would otherwise have destroyed our future."
"The reality is that of the 21 points addressed by the Madrid Provincial Court in its latest ruling on the Super League a few days ago, we were proven right on all 21 and they were even ordered to pay the costs."
"What is more, the resounding nature of the rulings obtained allows us, apart from promoting the organisation of our own competition, to claim from UEFA the enormous damages amounting to millions that their illegal behaviour has caused us by blocking our project in abuse of their dominant position. I can announce here that we have initiated the corresponding process of financial claims against UEFA."
Stronger than ever
"You can feel very proud of Real Madrid. Sincerely, I can tell you that we are stronger than ever. We are the best club in the world in terms of sport, finance and institutional structure."