Who is Real Madrid’s president Florentino Pérez and what’s his net worth?

Florentino Pérez has been one of the most influential figures in Real Madrid history. The club president does not normally appear on screens or radio without it being absolutely necessary, something which has created an air of mystery about the man at the top of arguably the biggest club in the world.

Here’s everything you need to know about the figure behind Real Madrid’s modern success...

When did Florentino Pérez become Real Madrid president?

Florentino is the CEO of Spain’s largest construction company: Grupo ACS. He has been the CEO of the firm since its inception in 1997 and owns a nearly 13% stake in the publicly-traded construction company. He briefly worked for the Madrid city council before moving to Spain’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport and eventually the private sector in 1983.

Pérez became the Real Madrid president in the year 2000, replacing Lorenzo Sanz. He had secured the win after an extraordinary campaign in which he promised to sign Barcelona’s Ballon d’Or holder Luis Figo for a world-record fee.

Florentino beat Sanz in the fan vote and immediately started the galáctico project, a period of time in which Los Blancos signed not only top talent but top profiles, projecting them as the most glamorous club in the world with one superstar signing per summer. Luis Figo was signed for a world-record €62 million ($67m).

Florentino embarks on second stint after trophy failure

The success on the pitch, despite signing stars such as Luis Figo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazário, was negligible. Bringing in the world’s best attacking talent had its upsides, but the team was unbalanced and ultimately flawed, with Madrid winning comparatively very little: from the 2003–04 season onward, the club failed to win a trophy and Pérez resigned in 2006.

The 77-year-old’s first stint as president of the Spanish club came to an end and Ramón Calderón took over. However, Calderón left in 2009 and Pérez was back at the helm. He had learned his lessons and despite signing big - Kaká, Xabi Alonso, Álvaro Arbeloa, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo were signed that summer - things were more measured and planned, with Real Madrid embarking on a new era of success.

As far as the Champions League goes, it has been the undisputed obsession of Real Madrid under Pérez, who has presided over famous trophy wins such as the coveted décima, Real Madrid’s tenth European Cup, won in Lisbon with the help of Sergio Ramos’ late header to draw level with Atlético Madrid. Over the course of nine seasons from 2013 to 2022, Real Madrid have had a period of unprecedented success, winning five Champions League titles. Lessons have clearly been learned.

What is Florentino Pérez’s net worth?

Forbes has Florentino Pérez’s net worth standing at $2.8B, an 8% increase from last year. They say that Real Madrid, “is worth more than $6 billion”.

Now, there is one step to go for Florentino to draw level with legendary president, Santiago Bernabéu, who presided over Los Blancos during their historic run in the late 50s. The game between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid will be played on Saturday, 1 June 2024. Kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET/ noon PT.

If you are in the US, you can watch the game on TUDN.com, CBS, ViX, Univision, TUDN USA, TUDN App, Univision NOW, and Paramount+. Remember, you can watch a live stream of the game on fuboTV (free trial available).