Florentino Perez snubbed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema when naming Real Madrid’s ‘best signing’ of the century.
Perez, 77, is currently in his second stint as president of the La Liga side, having previously undertaken the role between 2000 and 2006.
During his tenure at the club, he has welcomed Ronaldo, 40, Luka Modric, 39, and several other world-class players.
But who does he consider to be the best of all the recruits?
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Well, you’d expect the answer to this question to be Ronaldo, Real Madrid’s record all-time goal scorer with 451 goals in just 438 appearances for the club.
However, this was seemingly not enough for Perez, who named Toni Kroos as the club’s 'transfer of the century' – according to the German’s agent, that is.
“Shortly before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Florentino [Perez] invited me to lunch," Volker Struth told Philipp Westermeyer's OMR podcast in 2022.
"He is an incredibly nice person with a great life story. He seems entrepreneurial, but he is still human.
"He explained to me why Toni is Real Madrid's signing of the century for him. Kroos is unbeatable in terms of value for money."
Perez’s admiration of the former Germany midfielder is no surprise when you consider he helped Madrid to 21 trophies, including four La Ligas and five Champions League triumphs during his time at the club.
In May 2024, Kroos announced that he would retire after Euro 2024, but his last game in club football was Madrid’s 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley.
In a club statement after Kroos announced he would be hanging up his boots, Perez said: “Toni Kroos is one of the greatest players in the history of Real Madrid, and this club is and always will be his home.”
According to Telegrafi, the 77-year-old even tried to change the midfielder's mind.
"We offered him a contract renewal, but it's clear he wanted to retire at his peak," said the Madrid president.
"He did what he wanted to do, he leaves as a legend and we will always remember him as one of the greatest in the world."
Topics: Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, Toni Kroos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Champions League, La Liga
Luke Davies