Real Madrid’s training ground to be called ‘Florentino Pérez’: Why not change Bernabéu stadium name?

The Representative Members of Real Madrid Football Club were summoned to Valdebebas on Saturday morning for the annual Assembly with a prominent figure involved: José Martínez ‘Pirri’. The delegates were required to ratify the proposal from the Board of Directors to appoint the native of Ceuta as the new honorary president of the club. Pirri’s appointment was the most emotional point on the agenda, but there were some other interesting elements, including financial approvals and the request for the training facilities at Valdebebas to be named ‘Ciudad Real Madrid Florentino Pérez.’

Florentino Pérez and renaming Valdebebas

Pirri’s appointment was the first item on the agenda of the Extraordinary Assembly. Before that, the ordinary session was held, which began with a speech by club president Florentino Pérez. The final item on the agenda saw members deliberate on renaming the Valdebebas facilities in honour of Pérez. This was a popular initiative supported by more than 1,000 delegates who signed to include the proposal on the agenda under the authority granted by Article 28 of the Statutes. The initiative’s promoters gathered five times more signatures than were required by the rule.

“I have never sought this kind of recognition. It only remains for me to express my deep gratitude, but I want to do it discreetly”, Pérez said before the vote.

While this was approved without any problem, there was no serious contemplation of renaming the famous Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which, as you can see below, Pérez has given a serious facelift to.

Finances and the Santiago Bernabéu

Regarding finances, the Board of Directors once again presented sound accounts. The club closed the 2022-23 season with a profit of 11.8 million euros. Revenues increased by 17% compared to the previous season, reaching 843 million euros, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Members also voted on a new authorization for the board to request a third financing loan for the continued renovation of the Bernabéu stadium. The club aims to obtain 370 million euros in private debt markets to complete the stadium works, as reported by Bloomberg. In April 2019, Real Madrid closed a first loan of 575 million euros for the renovations. In December 2021, they requested a second loan of 225 million euros for the construction of the innovative underground greenhouse where the turf is stored. As of June 30, the cost of the Bernabéu renovation amounted to 892.7 million euros.

European Super League still on Pérez’s mind

“Football is undergoing an unprecedented and very serious crisis,” the president said during his lengthy speech. “We must react, or it will not survive as we know it now. The main problem lies with a series of administrators who do not consider the fans. The European doesn’t belong to UEFA, and the Spanish doesn’t belong to the president of LaLiga. That’s why the Super League is more necessary than ever; it would offer the best club football in the world. I demand more regulations for Financial Fair Play, as some clubs breach them without any consequences. This situation is not stable, and it cannot be.

“The Super League has been subject to constant campaigns of manipulation, claiming that we want to leave national comPetitions, which is false. They would be compatible. Its sole objective is to strengthen European Football... without privileges or exclusions. Based on meritocracy. Next year, the Champions League changes towards an unprecedented, absurd format, without Footballing sense. No home and away matches and more Games. Absurd.

“They only care about the interests of those who govern this system. UEFA manages football without transparency and without innovation. Without knowing how to cope with sports in constant growth, such as American football, and with digital platforms that attract a younger audience. Kodak was a leader in photography but went bankrupt for not knowing how to modernize. Football is no different. If you don’t progress, you get surpassed. It’s evident; every year it becomes more evident.”