July 17, (THEWILL) – The staggered release of audio from leaked recordings of Real Madrid’s President Florentino Perez has been ruffling feathers both within and beyond the club for the revelations that are contained therein as his comments provide his unvarnished opinions of some personalities at the club.
What the recordings being heard across the internet as released by El Confidencial, the Spanish-language general-information digital newspaper, do to Perez’s image still tainted by the European Super League debacle, is taint it further and box him in a tight corner of his own making.
The audio files date back to the period between 2006 and 2012. Chronologically, that places Perez at the end of his first tenure as President of the Santiago Bernabeu side, which ended in 2006, and the first three years of the second term, which commenced in 2009.
In the files so far released, Perez gave evidence of a sharp tongue that is hidden from view when he believes he is being watched but unleashed in the sort of private conversations that the audio files all consist of. Perez did not hold back in skewering the likes of Jose Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and even Luis Figo.
Below is a snapshot of Perez’s most barbed comments in all their unedited glory.
On Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho
“This guy [Ronaldo] is an idiot, a sick man. You think this guy is normal? He’s not normal, otherwise, he wouldn’t do all the things he does. The last foolish thing he did, everyone around the world saw it.
“He [Ronaldo] and the coach [Mourinho] don’t see the reality because the two could earn a lot more money if they were different. They are both abnormal because we are talking about a lot of money in image rights.
“Mourinho is an idiot. It is not that he does not want to play. Well, he’s a bit abnormal…that said, he has been overwhelmed by the pressure.”
On Iker Casillas and Raul
“[Casillas] is not a Real Madrid goalkeeper, what can I say? He never has been. He has been our biggest mistake. The problem is everyone loves him, I don’t know why. He has so many people on his side. But anyway, he is one of the biggest frauds.
“But anyway, he’s one of the biggest frauds, the second is Raul. The two great Real Madrid frauds are Raul first and Casillas second.
“Zidane’s a great guy. And [David] Beckham and Ronaldo, but then there are the others that think that… let’s see. Raul is a bad person. He thinks Madrid is his and he uses everything there is in Madrid, developing everything for his own benefit. Him and his agent. They are to blame for Madrid not doing well.
“Look, I left, among other reasons, because of him. He is a negative guy, he is destroying Madrid.”
On Vicente del Bosque
“He doesn’t know how to coach, nor does he know about tactics. He’s a fool. No one offers Vicente del Bosque work because they all know he’s not a coach. The Del Bosque stuff is the biggest lie I’ve seen in my life.
“Ask the Besiktas president [Yildirim Demiroren] what he felt. [Del Bosque] isn’t a coach, [Jose Antonio] Camacho is.
“[Luis] Figo arrived and became close with Raul, and between them and [Fernando] Hierro they ran the squad. Poor Vicente, he didn’t belong there. They say he’ll take over the national team, that’s just what they need. Del Bosque, you know?”
Del Bosque took the Spain job in 2008 and won the World Cup and the Euros over the next four years.
On Luis Figo and Guti
“Figo is the one who f***s up the locker room. He’s a son of a b***h, like Raul. The two worst are Figo and Raul.
“[Guti]’s a b*****d. His worst enemy is himself. He’s being used by [Cadena] Ser because they want to hire a moron, and he is a moron. And Cope will leave him hanging, he won’t go.”
On Michel and the subject of selling Juan Mata
“I think Michel is the one who made the hole for Mata [to leave], he is the one who threw him out of Real Madrid Castilla to put his son in the team. He is a fraud.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
