Sometimes you have to wonder why successful businessmen can continue to make the same mistake over and over when they run a football team.
Despite winning the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has fired Carlo Ancelotti less than 12 months ago he delivered the long awaited ‘LA DÉCIMA’ Champions League trophy to the club.
Ancelotti’s “crime” was not winning the league, something Real have only done once in the last seven years, despite Perez spending close to €1 Billion on new players in that time period.
Ancelotti’s firing means that 11 coaches that have been and gone since Pérez first assumed the presidency at the Bernabéu in July 2000. The first of them was Vicente del Bosque, shown the door despite winning a Champions League and two league titles. The arrivals and departures of Carlos Queiroz, José Antonio Camacho, Mariano García Remón and Vanderlei Luxemburgo rounded off Florentino’s first stint in the presidential suite, while the likes of Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho have walked the plank in the president’s second spell at the helm.
So who will step into the Real Madrid hot seat next? Rumors out of Spain suggest that former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez will become the next manager, although the fans prefer Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp.
Besides the manager decision, there are a lot of questions for the Real Madrid board to answer. What happens to club legend Iker Casillas? Will he be pushed aside for Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea? What is the future of Gareth Bale, who has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United and Cristano Ronaldo who is wanted by PSG?
Finally, Perez likes to sign a galáctico every summer. Who will it be this year? The top player available is Juventus star Paul Pogba. Will Perez go all out and land the French midfielder, despite him playing in a position that Real doesn’t need to reinforce?
