Florentino Pérez has insisted that Real Madrid just need “a good coach” to get back to their best — adding that José Mourinho fits into that category — saying the team is good enough to see in “another very important era in Real Madrid history.”
Madrid have now gone two consecutive seasons without winning a major trophy, with three coaches — Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa — unable to get the best out of the squad.
Pérez called elections earlier this month and is now facing rival Enrique Riquelme in the club’s first contested presidential vote since 2006.
“[Kylian] Mbappé, Vinícius [Júnior], [Jude] Bellingham, [Arda] Güler, [Federico] Valverde, [Aurélien] Tchouameni… They’re the best in the world,” Pérez said in an interview with Spain’s national broadcaster TVE on Thursday. “A good coach, with all these players, is going to make them part of another very important era in Real Madrid history.”
Pérez added, when asked about Mourinho — who was last in charge at the Bernabéu between 2010 and 2013 — that he is “a good coach, clearly.”
In an interview with ESPN on Thursday, businessman Riquelme promised to “give specific names” in terms of a coach, and new signings, on Saturday, with the elections due to take place on Sunday June 7.
Riquelme described Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri as “the profile of player Real Madrid should have, and who should be playing for the club.”
One pressing issue on the agenda of Madrid’s president will be the future of Vinícius Júnior, whose current contract will expire in 2027.
“I don’t know if he’ll renew,” Pérez told TVE. “If you ask my opinion, I want him to stay.”
– Real Madrid presidential candidate says Rodri is the kind of player the club needs
– Why Mourinho’s Real Madrid return is affected by club elections
– Real Madrid presidential candidate: I have ‘two international stars’ I will sign if elected
Pérez criticised Riquelme, saying his proposed board included figures from the presidency of Ramon Calderón — describing it as “the grimmest period in Real Madrid’s history” — who led the club from 2006 to 2009, before Pérez’s return.
“I won’t debate anyone,” Pérez said, when asked if he would face Riquelme in a public forum ahead of the vote. “He can speak as much as he wants. I’ll explain everything here.”
