It was a public and well-known fact, but it became official last night when the deadline for the presentation of candidacies for the Presidency of Real Madrid closed at 00:00. Finally, Florentino Pérez was the only candidate who has appeared in this new electoral cycle (2021-2025) and the only one that has agreed to guarantee the 124 million euros that correspond to 15% of the club's Expense Budget, plus amortizations and financial expenses.
In this way, the current president completes another stage at the head of the entity, added to that from 2000 to 2006, and from 2009 until now. They start four years full of challenges and in a splendid moment for the football and basketball team, personified in Zinedine Zidane and Pablo Laso.
Stadium
The works of the Bernabéu continue at full speed, thanks also to the ban on fans in stadiums due to the pandemic. That has accelerated the process by playing the team in Valdebebas and not having to interrupt work on match days. The new Bernabéu will be finished by the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023, reporting in the future more than 200 million euros per year of added income to the regulars of ticketing, partners, subscribers and VIP boxes. The roof that will close the stands and the retractable lawn, which will allow the celebration of all kinds of events, are the great novelties of the new and futuristic Santiago Bernabéu.
Mbappé and Haaland
To be at the level of a stadium with such colossal aesthetics (it is estimated that it will be a guided tour for 80% of tourists who come to the capital), the President has set himself as primary objectives the signings of Mbappé and Haaland. The former continues to refuse to renew with PSG, which could facilitate his arrival this summer. Haaland's case is more complex. Borussia is willing to ask for a prohibitive figure (more than 180 million) and that is why his arrival could be postponed to 2022. But the Norwegian's wish is to come to Madrid and that will help.
Economy
The economic crisis derived from the pandemic has reduced the annual budget by almost a third and has made it necessary to greatly reduce costs to avoid serious losses (This year about 70 million red numbers are calculated). For this reason, Florentino asked the staff for a new effort to lower 10% of their annual chips, as they did last May when the confinement generated terrible losses in the Treasury of the entity. The club trusts that the players accept this reduction.
Renovations
A collation of that problem, both Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vázquez have an uncertain future at Madrid, now that their contracts are ending. The club offered to renew them for the same salary they were earning, but with a 10% reduction (one year for the captain and three for the Galician). The two rejected that first proposal. The one who has done it is Luka Modric, who will continue until 2022, with the confidence of repeating next year if he continues to perform at such a spectacular level.
The benches
Despite the controversy that was in January after the elimination in the Cup with Alcoyano and the league defeat with Levante at home (1-2), both Florentino and José Ángel Sánchez, general director, have reiterated their trust in Zidane, the magician of the three consecutive Champions League that he is now going for his fourth crown as head coach (he already won it in white as a player and as Ancelotti's assistant). Y Pablo Laso continues to work miracles in the basketball section and he has seen his contract renewed again and he will continue to lead the most successful team in Spain and Europe in recent years.
The club maintains its commitment to women's football
Real Madrid is on the way to comply with the great objective of her first season in the top women's category: to qualify for the next Champions League. The white team is third in the Primera Iberdrola table, five points ahead of their immediate pursuer, Madrid CFF. Playing in Europe next season seems definitive both to close the long-awaited renovations and to attract new national and international talent.
The sports management continues to work on the contract extensions of the Swedes Kosovare Asllani and Sofía Jakobsson, the first stars to join the ambitious white project two summers ago. After the great incorporations made in 2020 (Marta Cardona, Ivana Andrés, Corredera, Kenti Robles, Maite Oroz, Teresa Abelleira, Misa and Olga Carmona), the main desire is to seize the services of Nahikari García, whose signing was thwarted last year. Urnieta's forward, 24, ends contract with Real Sociedad at the end of the season and she is one of the soccer players that the female Madrid wants to add to its squad to make the definitive leap in quality and thus be able to compete with the almighty Barcelona, to whom they lost 0-4 and 4-1 this season. —By Marta Griñán