Florentino Perez

Florentino Perez has not uttered a single truth in years

Santos Marquez, a FIFA agent and representative of Iker Casillas, says Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has not uttered one single truth in years.

One week ago, Casillas completed a long rumored move away from his boyhood club and completed a transfer to FC Porto.

It has been well documented that the team captain was put under pressure to leave Madrid in order to clear the way for the club to sign Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. The person who is understood to have orchestrated Casillas’ departure from the Bernabeu is Florentino Perez.

The club president’s transfer policy has been to sign at least one ‘galactico’ each summer, and De Gea has been Perez’s target for quite some time.

While publicly professing his innocence during Casillas’ transfer saga, there are few in Spain who doubt that Perez made the situation at the club unbearable for the team captain until he ultimately decided to leave Real Madrid.

During an interview with the Spanish publication AS, Casillas’ representative blasted Perez – who he has known since 1994 – and revealed his thoughts on the club president’s tenure in Madrid.

When asked about Casillas’ departure and Perez’s statement that the goalkeeper “wanted to leave”, Marquez responded: “And you believed him? [Iker] has never wanted to leave. He said that he never wanted to leave and that he could never ask to be Madrid first-choice goalkeeper, that he had two years left on his contract and that he would have liked to end his playing career at Madrid.

“He was happy and Madrid is his home. But they didn’t want him.”

Marquez went on to say that he didn’t blame new manager Rafa Benitez for Casillas’ exit. The FIFA agent said the transfer was “orchestrated” from higher up in the club’s chain.

“[Perez] hasn’t uttered one single truth in years,” the representative continued. “What he says is his truth, and that is the same as preaching.

“He kicked out the best people he has ever known. Everyone must realize that. It all turned ugly for Hierro, Raul, Del Bosque…there’s something not right about that. It’s as though everyone at this club is wrong and he never is.

“Madrid was always characterized as being a club which was owned by its club members but he has turned it into a serfdom. He’s set it all up so that the others are slaves and cannot act as the club members. They have to shut up and pay up.”

It has long been rumored in the Spanish press that certain Real Madrid players are considered “untouchable” or “undroppable” because they are ‘Perez’s players’.

Marquez says that is not fiction – it is fact.

“The squad knows who they are and so does the coach,” the agent responded.

“The only clash he had with Ancelotti was over Bale. [Perez] thinks Bale is the best in the world. He doesn’t know how to take care of the Ballon d’Or winner he already has in his squad. Bale is going to play wherever he likes.

“Another is Benzema. He got rid of Higuain, Di Maria, Del Bosque – none of whom were bad.”

Marquez was then asked if Perez will ultimately pay the price and lose his position for the way the whole Casillas saga played put.

“Absolutely. Florentino will eventually have to leave Madrid as a result of the Casillas saga. I don’t know when that will happen but it will.”

 

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