Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has lost his characteristic influence and tactical vision, according to former AS director Alfredo Relaño. Speaking on the SPORT program “La Posesión,” Relaño offered a sharp critique of the club’s current trajectory under both the front office and manager José Mourinho. He argued that the leadership has steered the Spanish giants into a posture of permanent conflict with Spanish football authorities and the media.
A Diminished Authority and the Mourinho Appointment
Relaño asserted that the long-serving club president no longer commands the same authority or tactical acumen that defined his earlier years at the Santiago Bernabéu. “Florentino is no longer the man he used to be, he is losing his talent,” Relaño said during the broadcast. He argued that the appointment of Mourinho represented an outdated and abrasive approach to fixing the club’s sporting challenges rather than a progressive solution.
Victimisation and the Barcelona Benchmark
Beyond executive management, Relaño turned his attention to the team’s performances on the pitch under Mourinho’s guidance. He pointed directly to a growing culture of victimisation within the squad and dismissed their current competitive level.
“They are not playing well at all,” Relaño stated, adding that recent defeats were unsurprising given that their arch-rivals, Barcelona, are currently performing at the peak of their powers.
The Bernabéu’s Drift into Anti-System Hostility
The most severe criticism focused on how Real Madrid interacts with the broader football ecosystem. Relaño accused the club’s hierarchy of retreating into an insular bubble of perpetual opposition, taking aim at multiple governing bodies and media outlets.
“I no longer recognize Real Madrid because it is practically an anti-system troublemaker that is against everyone,” he said, citing ongoing tensions involving UEFA, LaLiga, refereeing organizations, and sports journalists.
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