If Real Madrid truly lives by that idea of prioritising the present and the future over the past, then it’s fair to raise the question: why does Florentino Pérez remain? Because when you apply the club’s own logic, the situation starts to feel contradictory.
Florentino is, without question, one of the greatest presidents in football history. What he built at Real Madrid is extraordinary. But that’s the past, and the club has always shown that the past doesn’t guarantee anyone a place. Players leave when they stop delivering, icons are replaced and cycles end. If you apply that same standard to the present, the criticism becomes stronger.
Two seasons without major trophies at Real Madrid isn’t “just a dip”. For a club at this level, it’s serious. And when you look at the structure, it’s hard not to point towards the person making the decisions. That leads directly back to Florentino.
On the Mbappé case, the signing itself was never the issue. It was logical. The problem is what was built around him.
Think of it like a Batman and Robin dynamic. During the Cristiano Ronaldo era, there was a clear hierarchy. You had stars like Benzema, Modrić, Casemiro, Kroos, Bale, but everyone knew who the centre was. Now you’ve got Vinícius Júnior, Bellingham and Mbappé, all with status, all wanting to be the main figure, but without a clear hierarchy. And worse, without willingness to be second.
That’s not just a dressing room issue. It’s a squad-building problem, and that comes from the top.
Then you start seeing names like Mourinho being linked again in 2026, and it reinforces the same feeling: decisions based on name and past reputation, not on current output. That completely contradicts the supposed Real Madrid philosophy.
Another key point is the loss of managerial control. Whether under Xabi Alonso or Arbeloa, the impression is clear: players hold too much power. When the dressing room has more authority than the manager, the issue stops being tactical and becomes structural. And again, that doesn’t start with the coach. It starts with leadership.
Finally, the midfield issue: the departure of Kroos left an obvious void. A player with that level of control, tempo and intelligence isn’t easy to replace, but it’s also not something you can ignore. The club’s lack of a proper response is another planning failure.
Conclusion
Real Madrid built its greatness on a simple principle: no one is bigger than the club. If that rule is applied consistently, then Florentino Pérez shouldn’t be an exception. Because right now, the mistakes are adding up: squad construction, ego management, technical decisions, all pointing in the same direction.
If the club truly lives by performance and the present, then questioning his continuity isn’t just valid, it’s inevitable.