Florentino Pérez did not need explanations. Nor excuses. Just a pretext, and he found it in a defeat that, paradoxically, left better footballing sensations than many recent victories. The Spanish Super Cup final lost to FC Barcelona (3–2) in Saudi Arabia served as the trigger for a decision that had been maturing for some time: the dismissal of Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid’s head coach.
It was not just any defeat, nor just any match. Madrid competed, played well at times and did so with clear mitigating factors: Mbappé was barely able to take part due to injury, the defence was makeshift and the squad arrived stretched to the limit for a demanding fixture. None of that mattered. Florentino Pérez travelled to Saudi Arabia with a clear idea: not to prolong a situation that no longer convinced him and to seize the slightest opening to activate a change he considered necessary ahead of the decisive phase of the season. Even losing at that moment was not an undesirable scenario if it allowed a fresh start as soon as possible.
The problem is that this time the move has not been understood. Nor accepted. Nor supported. Polls published by the country’s two leading sports newspapers, ‘Marca’ and ‘As’, produced a crushing result: more than 80% of fans are against the dismissal of Xabi Alonso. The same percentage believe that Álvaro Arbeloa is not the right replacement. A double public rebuke that places Florentino Pérez, for the first time in a long while, at odds with his own people.
The only time Florentino stepped aside
And that, at Real Madrid, is no minor detail. Florentino has already lived through something similar during his first spell as president, when whistles from the stands became louder than the applause and he chose to step away. Now he is once again consciously exposing himself to a comparable scenario. Not because Xabi Alonso was untouchable, but because the widespread feeling is that the problem was not on the bench, but rather a lopsided squad and incomplete planning.
There has been no replacement for Kroos. Nor for Modrić. There is open talk of selling Vinicius. The defence is crying out for a deep restructuring. These are structural shortcomings, not temporary ones. And a large part of the fanbase believes that this called for far-reaching sporting decisions, not a change of coach who, moreover, enjoyed emotional and footballing credit.
Florentino Pérez’s gamble
Florentino Pérez has taken a brave decision, yes. But also a risky one. Because running a club like Real Madrid is not only about anticipating events, but also about knowing how to listen. And on this occasion he chose not to do so. It is hard to explain how a leader can put his position into question in a matter of days, after having built an almost unassailable leadership over many years. A single decision can precipitate scenarios that no one had imagined.
The last time the club found itself in a similar situation, the solution was to look inward. Zinedine Zidane was promoted from Castilla and the story ended up being glorious. Today the bet is once again internal, but the context is different. Álvaro Arbeloa does not generate consensus among Madrid fans. His past links to José Mourinho and his frequent public interventions about referees do not play in his favour. He arrives under scrutiny even before sitting on the bench.
The unpredictability of sport
This is where the most powerful football club in the world now stands according to Forbes, with a valuation of 6.75 billion dollars. An institution that, by size and structure, should operate with the stability of a major global company, yet once again serves as a reminder that sport is an unpredictable arena, on and off the pitch. In the coming matches, the real impact of this decision will begin to be measured. Whether it was a strategic move or a miscalculation.
Florentino Pérez will turn 79 in less than two months. He continues to make decisions as he always has: alone, convinced and without looking back. This time, however, he does so with the stands against him. And that, at Real Madrid, is never a minor matter. Time will tell whether it proves him right or whether, for the first time in a long while, the move backfires.
