Mr. Florentino Perez – President of Real Madrid and striker Karim Benzema have existed at the top long enough, overcoming pressures no one else can overcome to determine the position of Godfather of contemporary football.
Mr. Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid, and striker Karim Benzema have existed at the top long enough, overcoming pressures no one else can overcome to determine the position of Godfather of contemporary football.
In early June 2009, 55,000 fans flocked to the Santiago Bernabeu to witness Kaka’s debut as a player of the Royal Spanish Football Team, at the dawn of his second reign as Real Madrid President. Mr. Florentino Perez, who promises to bring about the Galacticos 2.0 era. The transfer record-setting contract with the Brazilian midfielder is a strong statement.
Kaka only held the throne for just a few days. The following week, Cristiano Ronaldo’s appearance attracted 75,000 fans, or perhaps more, to the Bernabeu. A catwalk was built on the sanctuary of the Royal Spanish football team, on both sides were 9 European championship trophies. All seats were filled hours before the Portuguese superstar appeared. Ronaldo’s heat is even more terrible than the peak summer in Madrid.
And then, on July 9, it was Benzema’s turn. The French striker joined Madrid in a different way. Benzema is the main character at Lyon, the team he has been with since childhood, but his transfer fee is significantly lower than the two senior stars, 30 million euros or more. And, at 21 years old, Benzema is much younger than Kaka and C.Ronaldo. These two names are the current Galacticos, while Benzema must wait his turn. He is the Galacticos of the future.
Benzema also held a launch ceremony. Like the Godfather, Perez never refused the opportunity to show off his power. However, by that time, the novelty had worn off somewhat. Madridistas are excited enough with 2 world record signings, 2 football superstars have been identified. An extraordinary talent at the age of 21 is not attractive enough for them to flock to the Bernabeu again.
Despite that talent, Jean-Pierre Papin once vividly described it: “Transformative like Ronaldo (Brazil), rich in imagination like Ronaldinho, sophisticated like Thierry Henry and cold like David Treezeguez”, Benzema ” only” was greeted by 20,000 fans.
As fate would have it, that debut sealed Benzema’s fate at the Bernabeu as Galactico waiting for his turn. He was overshadowed by Kaka and C.Ronaldo in his debut summer. In the following summers, like a coach collecting trophies, Perez collected stars in the football sky with offers “that couldn’t be refused”. Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Eden Hazard appeared one after another at the Bernabeu with blockbuster contracts. For a decade, there was always someone brighter than Benzema.
Not only at the Bernabeu, when mentioning the “number 9” position, fans also quickly list goalscorers better than Benzema: Radamel Falcao or Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Robert Lewandowski or Kylian Mbappe. And even Gonzalo Higuain. In the past, Benzema was overshadowed by teammates competing for the same position.
“If I can’t hunt with a dog, I have to hunt with a cat,” Mourinho said when asked about Higuain being injured and only Benzema remaining in the squad as the striker. “With a dog, you can hunt better. But if there is no dog and only a cat, you will hunt with the cat.”
Mourinho’s statement became “a stele, a stone”, causing Benzema to always be associated with the image of a lazy, sluggish striker like a fat cat in the imagination of fans. Fortunately, President Perez is not like the majority. Despite Higuain’s formidable scoring performance, the Argentine striker had to leave with the end of Mourinho’s reign. The person chosen to stay at the Bernabeu is Benzema.
Football is not a logical calculation to add up the total number of goals scored by strikers. As coach Carlo Ancelotti, Mourinho’s successor at Real Madrid, said: “Karim is the best player in the world in his position, not just a goalscorer. Debate on the topic of whether he should score 30 goals every season or not is nonsense. He possesses wonderful qualities, he is a complete player.”
If you call Benzema a “little cat”, he actually resembles Doraemon the robot cat with a magical bag containing countless treasures. The French striker is faster than you think. If you don’t believe it, ask the world’s top goalkeepers who had the ball stolen from him. Real Madrid’s number 9 is even more unselfish. In addition to scoring goals, Benzema is also good at creating goals. 324 goals and 160 successful passes are proof. Or as he describes himself, “the piece that makes it all work”.
Benzema is truly like a cat, but because of the flexibility in each handling phase. From the rhythm of blocking a step, the situations of making walls or creating assists, dribbling phases to superior finishing skills with both feet and in the air, etc. And one of the most valuable treasures of the French striker. is persistence.
In 2010, one year after the appearance of C.Ronaldo, Kaka or Benzema himself, the legendary Raul Gonzalez, the great symbol of Madrid, said goodbye to the Bernabeu at the age of 33 in accordance with the rule of “old bamboo shoots grow”. Real Madrid with the Galacticos culture built by President Perez is always the most terrible elimination environment in the football world. But more than 10 years later, when he was about to turn 35, Benzema went from being a “Galacticos waiting for his turn” to being the number one star at the Bernabeu and reaching the Golden Ball title that no one can compete with.
Benzema has outlasted every Galacticos ahead of him. Kaka passed away in 2013, after a 4-year hiatus due to injury. Ronaldo also said goodbye in 2018, despite being the embodiment of Real Madrid’s golden period with 4 Champions League titles in just 5 seasons. Bale and James Rodriguez sadly broke up because they did not meet expectations. Eden Hazard is also on a similar path.
A Real Madrid without C. Ronaldo still winning La Liga and the Champions League is certainly the most important vindication for “big cat” Benzema, who has scored 132 goals since the Portuguese superstar left.
When the C. Ronaldo era passed, according to natural laws, after the peak comes the abyss, observers predicted the demise of Real Madrid. On the field, the Royal Spanish football team is an old and patchy team. No one believes that “big cat” Benzema and veterans like Modric or Kroos will bring Los Blancos to the top. Outside the field, the strong rise of strong financial forces (petrodollar) like Man City or PSG shakes Real Madrid’s position. Compared to money, the resources in the hands of President Florentino Perez cannot compare with the huge budgets like the Middle Eastern oil pockets of newly rich football teams.
With the Galacticos strategy, Real Madrid under Perez dominated European football for many years. Not only did they continuously break transfer records to bring the stars of the soccer world to Bernabeu, but they also established a unique position in the transfer market. However, Godfather Perez’s “unresistible offer” has become outdated when with what Real is willing to spend, PSG can double it. The embodiment of Los Blancos’ financial lag is the failure of the Mbappe deal.
But what’s unique is that Real Madrid was able to turn the tables from defeat. Without the current Galacticos, the Royal team already has Galacticos waiting for their turn. Round of 1/8 Champions League 2021/22, PSG defeated Real in the first leg with Mbappe’s only goal in the 90+4 minute. In the second leg, Mbappe opened fire again in the 39th minute, as a finishing blow to the “White Vulture”. Until the end of the first half, the wealthy Frenchman still absolutely dominated the Royal team as in the transfer market.
However, the unexpected happened in the second half, a disorganized and lacking Real Madrid created a miraculous comeback thanks to Benzema’s hat trick in less than 20 minutes. PSG is eliminated, Real Madrid continues. In the following rounds, still following the epic comeback scenario, the Royal team defeated two other elite representatives of the petrodollar line, Chelsea and Man City. In the final, Los Blancos once again defeated the “winning machine” Liverpool to take the crown.
Benzema won on the field to win the Golden Ball at the age of 35, a worthy reward for his talent and perseverance, like determining his position as the Godfather on the field. Off the field, Godfather Perez won another battle. For four years, he blew up the prospect of Mbappe playing for Real Madrid. By all means, the Royal team accumulated money to defeat PSG in the epic battle to determine the identity of the new transfer king.
After all, Mbappe appeared on the Parc des Princes to celebrate his new 3-year contract. Normally, with a team as full of pride and self-esteem as Real Madrid, a feeling of confusion and humiliation is expected to appear on Perez’s face. However, the president of the Royal football team is still stronger and prouder than ever. At 75 years old, Perez is not vulnerable to ups and downs and events.
Not only the Mbappe deal, in recent years President Perez has faced many other events that pushed him into a difficult situation. Notable things like the European Super League project being snuffed out in the bud or the departure of heroes like C.Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos or Zidane. Perez may occupy an unparalleled position of power in Spain – as President of Real Madrid, President of one of the world’s largest construction corporations, but from the outside, he is always considered pompous and arrogant. and ridiculous.
For example, in 2012, he changed the team’s regulations to impose a requirement that anyone running for Real Madrid president must have been a member of the club for at least 20 years and possess personal assets equivalent to 15 years. % of team revenue. At that time, Perez declared that it was a necessary measure to prevent Real Madrid from falling into the hands of foreign tycoons. However, many people ridicule that one day Perez will add additional regulations to the regulations such as: having to work in the construction field, having three children or wearing size 9 shoes.
More importantly, however, Perez silenced all criticism. The Mbappe deal is still a typical example. Instead of seeing Mbappe as a serious failure in the transfer market for Real Madrid, the French striker is seen as a mercenary or traitor, for forgetting the promises he made to the team’s respected President. Royal. So much so that Mbappe’s family expressed frustration and had to post on social media to confirm that the French striker had never said a word to Real Madrid.
A few other vivid examples: Real Madrid under Perez was considered a lemon peeler, in the end the “lemon peelers” Raul and Casillas returned to serve the Royal team, while looking at Messi’s situation in Barcelona. ; Perez is considered to spend too much money on shopping. After all, Real Madrid is the team with the most stable financial health, even more so when compared to great rival Barca, etc. The power of a tycoon is determined as So not with money!