Perez Reviews Real Madrid's Future, Explains Season's Decline
Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid, reviewed the team's 2025-2026 season performance and future plans during an interview with Spanish channel "La Sexta" on Wednesday. Perez attributed the team's decline in performance during the season to the repercussions of participating in the Club World Cup and the subsequent difficulties in physical recovery. He simultaneously affirmed his full support for coach Xabi Alonso and player Kylian Mbappé, despite the challenges the club faced in various domestic and continental competitions.
Perez explained that physical exertion was the decisive factor in the results. Florentino Perez stated: "The origin of this problem lies in the Club World Cup. We were not able to recover our physical readiness, as we were playing a match every three days and could not take care of the physical aspect as required." Discussing squad reinforcements, the club president confirmed that the summer transfer market would see upcoming moves, adding: "There will be signings; we have always been keen to bring in players who generate excitement," reflecting the management's desire to refresh the squad.
The Real Madrid president also addressed the contract renewal of Brazilian Vinicius Junior, whose current contract expires in June 2027, indicating that discussions are still ongoing. Florentino Perez said: "Negotiations are still pending, and there is no rush in this matter, but the sporting management must take charge." In a separate context, Perez expressed admiration for Lamine Yamal's talent but completely ruled out any move to sign him, citing existing institutional issues and problems with Barcelona, which closes the door on speculation linking the player to the Royal club.
These statements come at a time when Real Madrid exited the Champions League quarter-finals at the hands of Bayern Munich, was eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Albacete, and lost the Spanish Super Cup final to rivals Barcelona. Despite these collective failures, Kylian Mbappé managed to win the Golden Boot in his second season with the Royal team, which reinforces the management's position in defending the core elements of the sports project led by Perez.
