Florentino P?rez: ?We have the best coach in the world leading a squad brimming with quality?
The Real Madrid President, Florentino Pérez, opened the 2012 General Members Meeting with a speech in which he spoke about, among other topics, the coach José Mourinho and the team he trains: “Mourinho is the best coach in the world. We are pleased that he has committed himself to the club until 2016 and this is a sign of the understanding between the two parties. He conveys his understandings to us, his passion for victory and how he identifies with the spirit of club. We want to continue to aspire to excellence and to do so we have the best coach in the world leading a squad brimming with quality".
With regard to the signings made this summer for the first team, the Real Madrid President stated: “We have strengthened with Modric, the best footballer in his country, who upon finding out about our interest only wanted to sign for us. This speaks of his commitment, a fundamental value in top competition. We have also signed Essien, a physical prodigy and excellent player. The reserve players Nacho, Morata and Jesús have convinced the coach and made themselves places in the squad”.
He also spoke of the recent Liga victory, “considered by many as the best on record. We won it with passion, with a record number of points and goals and a style brimming with intensity, verticality and commitment. Some incredible feats were recorded by a team that has become legendary. They were achieved thanks to the hard work made by the players on a daily basis and a modern style of play that meant the team only lost two matches. This is the best example of what the club stands for and that we want to continue to aspire to excellence”.
Regarding the objectives of the footballing side for this season: “Our aim is to win all the titles on offer. Endlessly striving for victory is one of our hallmarks and all our efforts are geared towards this goal. The team has become one of the favourites for the Champions League. Last year we reached the semi-finals and only bad luck prevented us from reaching the final. The players will do everything within their power in search of the legendary challenge that is winning the tenth European Cup. The team has some of the best players in the world who are benchmarks for fans of this sport. We have won titles and had possibilities to win all competitions”.
He also spoke of the club’s reserve teams: “We saw the promotion of Real Madrid Castilla to the Segunda, with fantastic records and excellent leadership from Toril. It was an exemplary effort that saw the team crowned champions of Segunda B. Real Madrid C earned a place in 2ª División B and now compete at a higher level. Our youth players are internationals and we continue to strengthen our work in the reserve teams that have 38 players in the Liga, 48 in the Segunda and 39 players abroad”.
Florentino Pérez also spoke about the basketball team “We owed our basketball fans success and we can confirm that we won the Copa del Rey and Super Cup again. We all enjoyed the Copa del Rey victory in an almost perfect final that saw us become the “King of the Cups”. Laso is doing a great job and as an ex-player he is aware of the responsibility of wearing the shirt. The relocation to the Palacio de los Deportes has been satisfactory and has seen an increase in the number of season tickets, the biggest in our history: 5,000. We have a young team, with a bright future and the quality and experience required to win titles. Their style of play is fast and eye-catching, and has been strengthened by Slaughter, Draper and Rudy”.
Regarding the clubs media, he stated: “We want Real Madrid fans to know first-hand what is happening at the club and to be able to do so from their homes. Realmadrid.com’s content is improving and the site has grown to reach an amazing 118 million visits. The social networks compliment the website, with 31 million Facebook users and seven million on twitter. Furthermore, we have the television channel and a dozen publications, with Hala Madrid as our flagship publication”.
The Real Madrid Foundation was another topic that Florentino Pérez spoke about in front of the representative members: “It is representative of the club’s spirit and spreads the club’s values. It is an important and strategic mission because football is a tool to fight against injustice and to train people using the sport’s values. We have 200 schools in 60 countries and more than 60,000 people benefit from its solidarity”.
Finally, he highlighted the club’s traditional values and declared: “The hunger for titles and victories is insatiable. We want this club to be one of the most important in the history of the sport and benchmark for modernity”.