When the audio from 2006 was leaked on Tuesday, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was left red-faced. He called Raul and Iker Casillas the two worst liars in the club’s history on the tape. The second strike came on Wednesday when Florentino called Cristiano Ronaldo an idiot and Jose Mourinho odd in a leaked recording from 2012.
Perez said about Ronaldo, “he’s crazy. This guy is an idiot, a sick man. You think this guy is normal but he’s not normal, otherwise, he wouldn’t do all the things he does. The last nonsense he did, the whole world saw it. Why do you think he does that stupid thing?”
Florentino focused on Mourinho’s friendship with super-agent Jorge Mendes when it came to Mourinho. “Mendes doesn’t control [Cristiano], just like he doesn’t control Mourinho. Zero weight. These are guys with a serious ego, both spoiled, and they don’t see reality because they could both earn a lot more money if they were otherwise inclined. These two are abnormal, because we’re talking about a lot of money in respect to image rights. Also, with that face they have, that defiant way, that everyone dislikes them; if the publicity is the opposite, it’s the opposite!”
In the summer of 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Madrid from Manchester United, where he spent nine productive years before joining Juventus in 2018. During his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Portuguese earned four Ballon d’Or trophies, as well as two La Liga crowns and four Champions Leagues.
Mourinho’s time at the club was brief, but not without drama. After leading Inter to a triple in 2010, the Portuguese moved to Madrid and stayed there until 2013. During that time, he won three trophies: La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de Espana, breaking Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona team’s reign.