Less than 48 hours after a press conference that shook Spanish football, Florentino Pérez was back in front of a camera — this time sitting down with Josep Pedrerol on La Sexta. The Real Madrid president wasn't walking anything back. He was leaning in harder.
"There has been an orchestrated campaign against Real Madrid and against me in particular," Pérez said. At 79, with elections now officially called, he sounds like a man who has no intention of going quietly. "They'll have to shoot me to get out."
The media war that isn't going away
Pérez singled out ABC newspaper specifically, accusing it of spreading false rumors about his health. "What they want to convey is that I'm exhausted, that I have illnesses. And it's very difficult to live with these rumors." He says he hasn't read the paper since stumbling across it before Tuesday's press conference.
His media critique ran wider than one outlet. He claims certain journalists want influence over Real Madrid and are weaponizing leaks — including stories about dressing room tensions — to manufacture a crisis narrative. The recent public fight between players? He brushed it off. "Fights in training have been constant. Tell that to any club."
Whether you buy his conspiracy framing or not, there's something real underneath it: Real Madrid have had a rocky season. No Champions League run deep into the spring, Mbappé's integration has been bumpier than anyone anticipated, and the atmosphere at the Bernabéu has turned at times. Pérez is trying to reframe all of that as external sabotage. Whether Madrid's title odds next season hinge on his re-election or not, the club's competitive picture looks less certain than it has in years.
Negreira, Barcelona, and 500 pages for UEFA
Pérez was characteristically blunt on the Negreira case — the ongoing corruption scandal surrounding payments Barcelona made to a former refereeing official over two decades. "I've only won seven league titles, which could have been 14, but he stole them from me," he said. "This is systemic corruption. Real Madrid is the only club that has filed a formal complaint."
Next week, he says Real Madrid will present UEFA with 500 pages of documentation — charting what he believes are between 16 and 18 points stolen from them this season alone. That's an extraordinary claim, and one that will face serious scrutiny. But Ceferin, he says, has confirmed they're "within their rights" to proceed.
On Barcelona's suggestion they might sue Real Madrid: "They would be right to do so. If they think they have to sue us..." He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to. The relationship between the two clubs, he confirmed plainly, is "completely broken."
Mbappé, Haaland, and what comes next
On the transfer front, Pérez stayed characteristically vague but characteristically bold. Signings are coming. "There have always been signings, we've always signed the best." On Haaland specifically: "I don't comment on that." Which is, of course, a comment.
Vinicius contract talks? "No rush." Mbappé's commitment? "He won the Golden Boot. It's not like he's lacking goals." There's a careful PR balancing act here — defending a season that hasn't hit expectations without admitting the squad needs significant surgery.
On elections, he's issued an open challenge: "Let him come forward, let him show his face. Let him present his guarantee." The unnamed rival candidate has yet to formally declare. Pérez isn't scared. He's been here before — he ran in 2000 without asking anyone to stand aside, and he won.
"I want to put an end to this mess and for things to return to normal." Normal, for Florentino Pérez, means Champions League finals and Galáctico transfers. Whether he gets that chance again depends on what the Madrid membership decides — and whether anyone actually dares to run against him.
