Who Owns Real Madrid? The Truth Behind One of the Biggest Teams in Club Football

Real Madrid, is often hailed as royalty in the footballing world. Today, it is home to one of the biggest stars and fanbases in the sport, but it only keeps in trend with what the club has been known for throughout its history. As such, the question of who owns Real Madrid is also a question that has been raised from time to time.

Since its inception, the club has had a longstanding tradition of garnering numerous accolades and successes domestically and on the European stage. Known as the ‘Los Blancos’ (Spanish: “The Whites”) Real Madrid is one of the top clubs in world football.

Not only that but it is also one of the world’s most valuable sports teams in the world with a valuation of $6.07 billion and ranking #11 according to Forbes’ list in 2023, making it the highest-ranking football club on the list, followed closely by Manchester United.

That said, in this article, we’ll be taking a detailed look into the Real Madrid CF owner and how they ensure the smooth running of the European giants. By the end, you will have a clear understanding of the hierarchy and the ins and outs of the club’s functioning and administration.

Background

Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, Real Madrid, earned its name from King Alfonso XII. The honorific title of ‘Real’ (meaning ‘royal’) moniker was added by the Spanish monarchy in 1920. Notably, the club was a founding member when the first national league season took place in 1929. That said, the club did not see major success until the 1950s, which marked an era of dominance for the Spanish team. As it turns out, a key factor behind their reign was the rebuilding of the club by Santiago Bernabeu, the legendary late president after who Madrid’s stadium is named after today.

With the recruitment of legendary players like the Argentina forward Alfredo di Stefano and the Hungarian bagsman Ferenc Puskas, Bernabeu steered the club to an incredible tally of 12 league titles between 1953/54 and 1968/69. The ‘Los Blancos’ are, to date, one the most decorated teams on the continent, with 15 European Cup wins to their name, which includes a record of three consecutive trophy lifts in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

However, the road to this incredible feat was not an easy one as the club experienced a downward spiral after Bernabeu’s passing in 1978. Although the 1990s saw the arrival of several new high-profile players like Roberto Carlos, Clarence Seedorf, Nicolas Anelka, and Steve McManaman, it only resulted in fleeting success across the domestic league and Europe. That said, the turn of the century, the arrival of the club’s current president, and the persistence of the Real Madrid CF owner was when the Galacticos era truly began, bringing with it some of the world’s biggest stars to don the infamous Madrid white.

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Who Owns Real Madrid?

For the most part, many assume Florentino Pérez, who has been the figurehead and the president of Real Madrid since 2000 to be the person who owns Real Madrid. Notably, Pérez has won five consecutive elections and controls the day-to-day operations of the club. Additionally, he is also the chairman and CEO of Grupo ACS. However, it may surprise some of you to know that Florentino Pérez is in fact, not the owner of Real Madrid.

For those unaware, Real Madrid is part of a select few clubs in world football, which is not owned by any individual, corporation, or consortium. As it turns out, the club is owned by its members, known as “socios”, who are key in electing the club’s president every four years, owing to exclusive voting rights and other perks, such as ticket discounts.

In Spanish football, “socios” refers to club members paying an annual subscription fee (currently €149 for adults and €50 for children at Madrid) which allows them voting rights in presidential and board elections. Similarly, these members are also allowed ticketing benefits and a general feeling of involvement in the running of the club. Notably, for someone to become a socio, they must be vouched for by two already existing socios.

Whilst the socio’s themselves do not hold any power the 90,000-strong community has a big say in the democratic proceedings of the Los Blancos. Interestingly, Real Madrid, along with Barcelona, Athletic Club Bilbao, and Osasuna are the only four fan-owned clubs in the Spanish top flight.

How Did Florentino Pérez Become President?

As mentioned previously, Florentino Pérez was elected as the president by the owners of Real Madrid in 2000. According to Forbes, the CEO of engineering and construction company Grupo ACS since 1997, Pérez, is reportedly worth $3 billion today. Having persuaded the Madrid faithful with promises of bringing home the best football players to the Santiago Bernabeu, the Spanish businessman was able to sway the crowd in his favor.

That said, Pérez gave a stunning account of himself when he signed the world-class Portuguese forward Luis Figo from their hated El Clasico rivals Barcelona. Thus, he kickstarted the ‘Galacticos’ era, a superteam consisting of world beaters such as Zinedine Zidane, Michael Owen, and Robinho.

Having won his first election with a vote share of 55%, the arrival and success of the blockbuster transfer deals helped him secure a whopping 94.2% share of the votes in the next election in 2004. Seeing that upon election, the president is the person who has all the power, it strengthened Pérez’s position at the club, similar to what you would expect a traditional Real Madrid owner to have.

However, after a period of stagnation in terms of success in La Liga and Europe, questions over Perez’s presidency arose, owing to his marketing and finance-first policies. Eventually, things reached a boiling point and the business tycoon announced his resignation on 27 February 2006.

That said, ‘Papa Perez’ would once again mark his return after throwing his name in the hat for candidacy in May 2009. Owing to the serious financial obligations that a club president and the Board of Directors must have, Florentino was a direct shoo-in and reprised his role on June 1, 2009. In typical Perez fashion, the president marked his arrival with a historic transfer window which saw the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Kaká.

What Is Pérez’s Real Madrid Legacy?

With a tenure of over 21 years as the 15th and 18th President of Real Madrid, there may be many questions regarding Florentino Pérez and his contribution to the growth and success of the club. As revealed previously, a lot of Florentino’s time and effort went toward the success of Real Madrid as a brand and establishing it as a household name. That said, there were criticisms regarding his motives being purely driven by profits and not so much toward maintaining their stronghold over the domestic league and Europe.

Throughout its illustrious history, Real Madrid has accumulated 36 league titles compared to FC Barcelona’s 27. As such, Los Blancos are without a doubt the most decorated club in Spanish history, and it is evident that Pérez certainly played his role in their success. Since his arrival in 2000, Real Madrid has won seven La Liga titles, along with seven UEFA Champions League trophies and innumerable domestic cups. Simultaneously, they are one of the world’s richest clubs, boasting significant commercial power and worldwide appeal, which has continued to grow exponentially.

Notably, Pérez has presided over a major renovation of the club’s home ground, the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, which the fans believe will once again propel them to a dominant domestic reign. Whilst the Real Madrid ownership will be keen to once again become a domestic powerhouse, they cannot deny that the club’s European success has been anything short of monumental. With the arrival of up-and-coming superstars like Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Ballon d’Or nominee Vinicius Junior also among their ranks, the future is looking good for the Spanish elite.

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