The day Florentino bought Guzzi motorcycles from the mayor of Madrid: “I had to swallow them”

The Real Madrid of the Galacticos, the first one that Florentino Pérez formed when the new century began, is one of the most iconic teams of recent years. At the bottom, a compendium of the biggest stars on the planet, and by the shapes, through titanic operations wrapped in a marketing strategy that would make them profitable, as Florentino himself would later recognize. “Zidane cost 73 million euros and he was the cheapest player”, he went on to say. 'ESPN' wanted to pick up on that stage years later, through a documentary that revolves around the Madrid businessman. A three-episode serial which will be released on February 24 in Latin America, to be subsequently launched in the United States, Asia and Europe.

In a preview, to which AS has had access, you can see the tone that we will find in 'Galacticos'. José María Álvarez del Manzano, mayor of Madrid between 1991 and 2003, is one of the 30 interviews used as the common thread of the documentary, which will be told by the protagonists themselves instead of the usual 'voice over'. The politician appears smiling, explaining an anecdote with the now president of Madrid, during his time in the Madrid city hall.

“I know about Florentino's abilities, he had been a service representative of the Madrid city council and did extraordinary things“He begins.” Florentino specifies that the acquisition of motorcycles for the municipal police is very important. They were Italian Guzzi bikes, I can't forget“He remembers.” As a delegate from the Treasury, I had to authorize them. But I say no way. “However, the Hortaleza man was clear that he would get away with it. Or, rather, he had already done so.

“It had been launched and had not paid for them”

“Then Florentino says: 'Mr. Mayor, the motorcycles have already been bought and are at the Barajas Airport“He continues. At this, the former mayor laughs and acknowledges the result:”And I had to swallow the bikes. It had been launched and had not paid for them “. The surprised interviewer asks how he got them then, without having paid for them, to which Álvarez del Manzano responds with a simple, “Florentino.” Good appetizer of what we will see in 'Galacticos'.

Throughout the three chapters, they will try to explain, from a different prism, the motivations of a different team. The one of the 'Zidanes and the Pavones', as flags of the portfolio and the quarry, the actors who moved the gear that group. In terms of transfers, there is nothing expensive or cheap, “one hundred million can be cheap and 20 million expensive”, is another of the phrases with which Florentino explained to 'Telecinco' his way of articulating football and business as the same product.

On July 20, 2000, Luis Figo, 60 million and a 'robbery' from Gaspart's Barça were the seed of everything. Then they would come Zizou, Ronaldo, Beckham and company, who would accompany Roberto Carlos and Raúl who were already breaking stone in the Madrid history book when Florentino unseated Lorenzo Sanz. In that context the documentary will move, where football, glamor or the fight of egos will have a place.