In a scene that rivaled even Bayern Munich's infamous 2018 press conference, Real Madrid president Florentino PĂŠrez delivered a press conference for the agesâone that had fans, journalists, and even rival clubs picking their jaws up off the floor.
Following a turbulent week that included a dressing room altercation, a painful ClĂĄsico defeat, and swirling rumors about JosĂŠ Mourinho's potential return, PĂŠrez called an emergency press conference at 6 p.m. What unfolded was less a crisis management session and more a theatrical monologue that will be replayed in football history books for years to come.
Rather than addressing the pressing issuesâlike the reported clash between Federico Valverde and AurĂŠlien TchouamĂŠni, or the Mourinho speculationâPĂŠrez turned his firepower on the media. The result? A series of quotes that were equal parts shocking, bizarre, and unforgettable.
Here are the moments that stole the headlines:
"I'm sorry to have to tell you that I will not be resigning today."
"Look at this on my phone: ABC writes that I'm tired. How can they say that? Is that journalist in this room?"
"La Liga is our eternal enemy! They have waged a systematic campaign in the Negreira case together with Barcelona. But I will fight. I fight against everyone!"
On the reported dressing room scuffle: "Valverde and TchouamĂŠni had a fight, the way young people do. You kick one, the other kicks back, and then they're friends again. That's normal."
"I have won seven La Liga titles. But it should have been 14. Seven were stolen from me."
"Let them run against me for the presidency. That is something they have never done. That must be because they are afraid of me."
And perhaps the most dramatic line of the night: "You think you can kick me out of the club. No! You'll have to shoot me."
If that wasn't enough, PĂŠrez's comments took an even more troubling turn. He dismissed a female journalist's article, questioning whether she "even understands football," and later told the room: "Let this girl speak. The rest of you are ugly anyway."
With new presidential elections now on the horizon, one thing is certain: Real Madrid's boardroom drama is far from over. And for fans who thought Bayern Munich's legendary press conference had set the bar for club president meltdowns, Florentino PĂŠrez just raised the roof.