Florentino Perez Could Give Valdano Control Of Real Madrid

Florentino Perez continues to demonstrate that he has learned from the mistakes he made during his six year spell as Real Madrid president between 2000 and 2006.

During the final few years of his tenure, the construction tycoon was heavily criticized for running the club all on his own, from trying to assume the role of the commander-in-chief, the transfer guru and the team coach all at once.

But as he prepares to consider running for the upcoming presidential elections in a bid to return to power, it appears that he is ready and willing to take a step back and lower his profile.

Madrid-based daily AS believes that Perez would appoint his former sporting director, Jorge Valdano, as the club’s delegated adviser, someone who would have full control over the administrative, social and sporting aspects of the club. It is not unlike the structure and relationship shared between Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani at Milan.

Perez will be far more discreet in the public eye this time around and the day-to-day running of the organization will fall to Valdano, who will also be given the power to make high-ranking decisions and more importantly, to carry the image of the club. Perez would still have the final say on key issues and his only main role would be to intervene when appropriate, similar to how Berlusconi stepped in when Galliani and Milan were about to sell playmaker Kaka to Manchester City during the January transfer window.

It has been believed that Perez is so far reluctant to officially announce his decision to run for office because he is afraid that it will intervene with his role as the president of the ACS Group (a Spanish construction, services and telecommunications company) and with family matters.

But the reports that he is set to revamp the structure of the club and how it will be run is the strongest indication yet that he is now ready to return.

KS Leong, Goal.com