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Florentino Perez is responsible for Real Madrid’s instability.

Florentino Perez sounds like a deluded general on the war field, outnumbered 4-to-1 [see what I did there?] but still refusing to admit defeat. As he stood in front of the media and basically recited, word for word, exactly what he said about Carlo Ancelotti only a year ago but this time in defence of Rafa Benitez, there was an unified sigh that went around Spain. His responses to everything are robotic and predictable, just like Benitez being sacked at the end of the season – everyone knows it, Rafa more than anyone.

When Florentino Perez was appointed president for the second time in 2009 he said he had come back because “Real Madrid had endured 3 years of institutional upheaval and improper actions”. That’s ironic as his signing of James Rodriguez was rumoured to have personal motives behind it to help secure a contract with his construction company. He’s also due in court tomorrow as fellow club members have brought his amendments as to who could run for presidency at Real Madrid into question. Perez changed it so that you could only be eligible to run for election if you’d been a club member for over 20 years and could legally show you had the capacity to match 15% of the club’s spending budget.

He talked about facing the instability at the club with sincerity but has yet to lay one ounce of blame at his own doorstep. He instead believes there’s a campaign against him and that every story published is to weaken his and his manager’s position. The problem is, without being able to acknowledge your own errors, it’s hard to take anything the man says as gospel. Is there a lot more anti-Madrid stuff in the press these days? Yes. Is most of it sensationalised from a non-story or an alleged insider source? Probably. But is this Madrid regime, formed by Perez, so ridiculous some of stories might actually be true? Again, probably.

There was disenchantment at the club in 2009 and his mandate was to combat it with “ideas, professionalism and enthusiasm”. But looking at the current Real Madrid side there’s a distant lack of ideas, professionalism and enthusiasm. And if you dig deep enough, everything leads back to one man: Florentino Perez.

Rafa Benitez isn’t excused of blame because it was ultimately his decision to play an attacking side in the hope of exposing Barcelona’s weak defence. The players had no idea of their roles or positions which points to a lack of preparation on the training field. It’s hard to imagine Rafa writing 6-0-4 on his whiteboard ahead of the game and saying, “Stick with this formation lads – we’re score for fun if you do.” You need great self-belief to succeed at Real Madrid and the only one to match Perez blow-for-blow in that stake was Jose Mourinho. Rafa Benitez doesn’t look like the kind of guy to go against a gentle nudging from upstairs to play all of the star players so he’ll become the next fall guy.

It would be easier to delve further into Rafa’s failings if he didn’t follow a long list of coaches that had been given players hand-picked by the president/chairman and expected to create minor miracles. Florentino Perez has an obsession with signing the most sought-after talent in the world even if there’s no real need to buy them. It’s that “I sign who I want” attitude which has handicapped every coach under his control.

Now I know you’re thinking, “But if you’re given the best players in the world you should be winning titles”. There’s an element of truth to that but it’s also about creating an identity with the perfect mix of personalities and traits. Ancelotti had Özil and Di Maria yet was handed Gareth Bale and later James Rodriguez. Ancelotti asked for neither but knew both had to be crowbarred into the side, “Si o si”. Why not consult the coach as to whom he wants, or what positions he needs strengthening?

Speaking of Gareth Bale, he’s found himself in the middle of Florentino’s great plan: replacing Cristiano Ronaldo. It was almost too good to be true as the Welshman is a self-confessed Cristiano fan, regularly naming him as the best player in the world even prior to his move over here. That isn’t hard to understand when Bale’s style is very similar to that of Ronaldo’s, albeit not as prolific. Perez was sold the dream scenario by Jonathan Barnett who told him Bale was going to eclipse Ronaldo in the next 2-3 years and would slowly lessen the burden currently placed upon the Portuguese international’s shoulders.

You can love or hate him but Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t stupid. He knew what was going on despite being well on his way to breaking most goalscoring records at the club. Things appeared to be going to plan when Bale popped up with the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final, then scored the crucial second goal in the Champions League final to put Real ahead. It was perhaps why Cristiano, who had been poor in both matches, celebrated so emphatically as he scored a late penalty against Atletico Madrid. A sign to Perez that there was only one Ronaldo and he couldn’t be replaced.

Injuries weren’t Bale’s friend last season at the Bernabeu and when he did make it onto the pitch he had to deal with Cristiano’s tantrums whenever the Welshman opted to shoot instead of passing to him. There was one moment when Cris actually got angry with Bale after he had scored. It’s that ego-driven need to prove he can’t be replaced and every time Gareth did something well, it felt like something was chipping away at Ronaldo.

The situation has changed this season however. Cristiano knows the pressure is on Bale to produce after last year’s dip, so his status as number one at Real Madrid is strong. He’s broken every record within reach after surpassing Raul and uses every possible opportunity to create rumours about leaving Madrid. He preferred to promote his movie and book than remain in Spain. He whispered in the ear of Laurent Blanc at the end of the PSG game, fully aware it would spark rumours. He later chose to appear on the Jonathan Ross Show and further muddied the waters regarding his future, “As people know I like Manchester United, I love that club. The future? Nobody knows but right now I feel good and happy.” In the same interview he shot down rumours of a move to the MLS or Qatari league.

You sense it’s a test of sorts for Florentino Perez. Cristiano is probably after the last major contract of his career. Messi seems to get a new one every year while Cristiano hasn’t been offered improved terms since 2013. The signing of Bale has ruffled his feathers and the constant flirting with leaving is placing the onus on Perez to tie him down to a new deal, one that will mean he sees out his career at Real Madrid.

Of course offering Cristiano a huge deal would probably make Bale consider his future at the club. He knows it’s highly improbable for him to be the best in the world while Ronaldo remains there without a massive power struggle developing between the two. It echoes that of Neymar’s situation at Barcelona but the overall feeling is that Messi wouldn’t mind eventually becoming number two as long as the side continued to be successful.

So while the end of the season will no doubt bring about Rafa Benitez’s exit he could soon be followed out of the door by one of Cristiano or Bale. The man who really needs to leave Real Madrid is Florentino Perez though, especially after 6 years of institutional upheaval and improper actions which has caused instability and disenchantment.

Oh, I’m having a déjà vu.