Florentino Pérez betrayed himself when, last summer, for the first time in 30 years, Real Madrid did not sign on the transfer market.
Since 1980, no such stage has taken place. And this, in a club run by Florentino himself, is historic. The pandemic wreaked havoc on the economy of the big teams, and the whites opted for a conservative and continuity project that, so far, has earned them to be in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and continue in the fight for the title 10 days after the end of the campaign .
However, and regarding the first stage of Florentino Pérez as president, this detail is even more notorious. And it is the fact that the current owner of the destinations in Madrid arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu with the galactics under his arm. Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham … He imposed a style based on a checkbook that raised the club to the top of the world. Some cases went well, others not so well.
When Florentino retired and returned to the club’s presidency in 2009, the second galactic stage began. Running away from that label, Florentino repeated his model with Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema and Kaká. Three brilliant international signatures that allowed Real Madrid, led by Mourinho, Ancelotti and Zidane, to face the best stage of Barça in its history. In this case, with the exception of Kaká, who did not work due to poorly treated injuries, the club won four Champions in just five years.
But Florentino wants more. After the break at the time of signing this season, the immediate future forces him to make numbers and draw a budget element to thank the fans (and Zidane) with a few signatures. And Mbappé, Haaland and, if none works, even Cristiano Ronaldo enters the scene.
The dream is Kylian Mbappé, but the operation remains stagnant. Its astronomical price is inaccessible to any club, unless PSG fails to renew its player and has no choice but to lower its price to prevent him from leaving for free in 2022. Nothing is known about the future Mbappé and Madrid, who are waiting for a public nod, start throwing in the towel and look at another alternative.
Here comes the figure of Erling Haaland. Cheaper than Mbappé, it is an option that Florentino likes for its potential and immediate performance. In addition, in the white offices I know that the Norwegian is seduced by the idea of playing at the Bernabeu. However, the operation remains difficult due to the post-pandemic economic situation, although Madrid has already met with the player’s father and his agent, Mino Raiola.
The meeting, according to sources for ESPN, was developed in a “cordial” way and in order to know the intentions of both parties. On the one hand, both Raiola and Haaland’s father wanted to know Real Madrid’s predisposition and plans. On the other hand, Florentino Pérez wanted to know first hand the situation of the player if in the end the whites decide to bet on Haaland as a piece of the future for Zidane.
If he wants to sign Haaland, Real Madrid understands that they have a slight advantage over Barcelona due to the good relationship that Florentino Pérez has with the president of Borussia Dortmund and also because the Madrid players understand that they have a better economic situation than of culés. Of course, it is also believed that Manchester City have been doing homework for a long time …
And then there is the option of the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese, disappointed by his Italian adventure, would be mad to return to Madrid. At the White House, I reject the option. First of all, because it is understood that the secondary parts have never been good. And secondly, because it is not a priority. However, if in the end Mbappé or Haaland cannot be hired, no one should rule out the possibility of CR7 returning …
The 3.0 era of the galaxy has begun and only Florentino Pérez knows what will happen. Real Madrid has been working for a long time and will have new faces this summer. Who will it be? We’ll wait … and report.