Florentino Pérez, Antonio Percassi and Evangelos Marinakis are the presidents of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League champions respectively. That is, Real Madrid CF, Atalanta BC and Olympiacos FC. Mediterranean dominance in the three top continental competitions with a great common element: the business profile of their presidents. They have defeated club-states or clubs with foreign capital by extolling the triumph of entrepreneurs with blood ties to their respective teams.

It is not very romantic to relate their presidency in these successful teams with the fortune that each of the presidents possesses, according to Forbes –Florentino Perez about 2,900 million dollars, Antonio Percassi about 1,600 million dollars and Evangelos Marinakis about 3,600 million dollars-, but it does speak for the business and entrepreneurial character that occupies the head of each one, besides having the shield of their team stuck in their heart for a long time:

Florentino Pérez, Real Madrid. (Shutterstock)

– Florentino Pérez (Madrid, 1947) has been a member of Real Madrid since he was 4 years old (he is currently member number 1,793), studied Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and from there, with a small foray into politics, began a business career in construction companies that led him to chair ACS, one of the largest companies in this sector worldwide. His mentality has led him to conquer everything on the pitch with ‘his’ Real Madrid, which in his first stage as president he armed with the construction of the innovative Ciudad Deportiva de Valdebebas and now with the remodeling of one of the most modern stadiums in the world, the new Santiago Bernabéu. The company’s mentality and vision of growth transferred to the Merengue coat of arms.

Antonio Percassi, Atalanta BC. (Shutterstock)

– Antonio Percassi (Clusone, Bergamo, 1950) fulfilled his dream of becoming a footballer for his home team, Atalanta, as a young man. After 110 games – and one season in Serie A – he was transferred to Cesena at the age of 23 and decided it was no longer worth his while to continue kicking the ball around. He preferred to make money as an entrepreneur, and so began his business career. First he teamed up with Luciano Benetton to relaunch United Colors of Benetton, now he is at the top with Kiko and is responsible for the success in Italy of companies such as Zara, Nike or Starbucks, which he has introduced in the country of the boot. His reputation as a formidable manager has been transferred with the same ease to his Atalanta to turn a modest team into a great team in Italy and Europe (this Europa League is their first European title, the second in their history after the Italian Cup in 1963). He has carried out a thorough renovation of the stadium and his academy for the youth academy, the hallmark of someone who does not want to make a splash, but a legacy.

Evangelos Marinakis, Olympiacos. (Shutterstock)

– Evangelos Marinakis (Piraeus, 1967) has been an Olympiacos fan from the cradle since his father was an investor in Piraeus FC, Olympiacos. Evangelos, in this case, continued his progenitor’s work in his boat company until founding Capital Maritime & Trading Corp, with about a hundred boats. He has been president of the Greek Super League, vice president of his country’s football federation, owner of Nottingham Forest since 2017, owner of different Greek media and has also served as a politician in his native Piraeus. He was born in a privileged position, something that may explain his experience and entrepreneurial skills that he has transferred to the pitch to lead Olympiacos to conquer the first continental title in its history.

The profiles of Florentino, Antonio and Evangelos are a far cry from the club buyers that have appeared in recent decades and show that in sport there are local variables and emotional factors that favor the achievement of success. These presidents have invested the passion of their fans better than anyone else. It also shows that the competitiveness on the field of play shown by sportsmen is transferred to the offices with these entrepreneurial profiles and that all of them -players and managers- have in common their love for football and, more particularly, their lifelong club.