The digital newspaper El Confidencial today publishes audios of conversations of the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, recorded in 2006, months after he resigned from his position to return three later, in which harshly criticizes Raúl González and Iker Casillas, then white players and today within the club's staff. Real Madrid sources consider that the publication of the audios is not accidental and that it is part of a conspiracy to undermine the credibility of the president in the defense of the Super League project. They also consider that the recordings, from fifteen years ago, they are illegal. Madrid is studying the possibility of taking legal action against the publication.
De Casillas, the president says: “He is not a goalkeeper for Real Madrid, what do you want me to tell you? It is not. It never has been. It has been the great failure that we have had. What happens is that the… (recording is interrupted) adore him, want to talk to him… I don't know. They defend him so much … But hey, it's one of the big scams. The second is Raúl. The two great scams of Madrid are first Raúl and second Casillas ”.
“The two great scams of Madrid are first Raúl and second Casillas”.
Florentino Pérez, in 2006
In other audio you can hear: “Zidane is a great guy. And Beckham and Ronaldo, right? But then there are those who believe that … Let's see. Ronaldo is a jeta and period. Also, these are all jetas. Bad they are ... Raúl is bad, he believes that Madrid is his and he uses everything that is in Madrid, everything that he has developed, for his own benefit. Him and his representative. The culprit that Madrid is going badly … Look, I have left, among other things, for him. Because he, as he already considers himself finished and considers himself such (…), says: 'Before I finish and those … I'm going to finish with Madrid'. He's a negative guy, he's destroying Madrid, the morale of the players so that they say: 'It is Madrid that is wrong, not Raúl. It's terrible how bad the kid is. And I can't handle that problem and since I can't handle that problem and I have a lot to do and I had to merge Abertis with Autostrade and other things, well, hey, I've been there for six years, I've been happy … “.
Later he adds that “much of the fault of Raúl is GInés (Carvajal)”, his representative. And then he makes allusions to the personal life of the then player that AS will not reproduce. He also reveals that he earns “2,000 million pesetas a year”. “In Madrid he is not going to play anymore. Even in order not to play, it is better to leave Madrid. It is that being in Madrid and not playing is going to be a martyrdom. Come on, I think he has to go. He is destroying Madrid and everything, he destroys everything so that … That is, he 'or me or chaos'. Chaos, of course, “he concludes
Florentino Pérez also talks about other footballers: “Beckham is a good guy. He's very smart, what the hell. He earns 30 million euros a year. He must be ready by now. Look, the top two earners were Beckham and Ronaldo. Those made 30 million euros a year. Among all. After Zidane, who should win 25. And then no one. Because Figo had … a watch in his town, another I don't know what, the bank, which had nothing. Because all the others we have sought. We from Audi are looking for him to give something to Raúl and Figo. But nothing, if not I had nothing. If Raúl doesn't sell anything, man, it's not a media product. “
At another point in the conversation, Florentino Pérez adds: “The players are selfish. You can't count on them at all and also whoever does count on them is wrong. They leave you stranded and such. It's silly. I have a horrible concept of players, male, horrible, horrible. Look, I have seen collectives, but I have never seen one like the soccer players, male”.
The return of Raúl and Casillas
Both Casillas and Raúl left the club years later, but Florentino Pérez himself played them back after having concluded their sports careers. Raúl González is the current Castilla coach, having coached in other lower home teams, and Iker Casillas is executive vice president of the club's Foundation.
Florentino Pérez became president of the club in 2000 after winning over Lorenzo Sanz in the elections and, after a successful period, resigned six years later due to a sporting crisis in the first team. Three years later and after the resignation of Ramón Calderón, he began his second stage in the white entity.
Raúl, who made his Real Madrid debut in 1994, left it a year after Florentino Pérez returned to join German Schalke.. Later he would play for Al Sadd and New York Cosmos. In 2017 he returned as an advisor to the president. In 2018 he began directing cadet B and later the youth. In 2019 he was elected Castilla coach and was in the pools to replace Zidane this summer, but finally Carlo Ancelotti was chosen.
Casillas started in Madrid's junior team and was on the squad until 2015. In that season, with Ancelotti on the bench, he left the club. His farewell appearance before the media, alone, caused a huge controversy. A day later, he repeated the act but with Florentino Pérez by his side. He played four more years at Porto. In the last one he suffered a heart attack that forced him to retire from football. Following a failed bid to become Federation President, last year he was appointed Executive Vice President of the club's Foundation.