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“I Said No” – James Rodriguez Exposes Florentino Perez as Main Man Behind Snubbing PSG & Manchester City

Published 12/06/2023, 6:02 AM EST

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James Rodriguez made the soccer fans take notice of him after his splendid performances in the 2014 World Cup. His performances led to clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City making proposals. But he decided to join Real Madrid. Now the Colombian international has revealed that Real Madrid’s president encouraged him to reject other proposals.

This shows the reason the fans of Real Madrid loved Florentino Perez. He has made sure that the manager gets their top transfer target in the transfer windows time and time again. So how did he convince the former Los Blancos no.10?

James Rodriguez reveals his conversations with Florentino Perez before joining Real Madrid

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The FIFA World Cup is a tournament that has continued to change the futures of soccer players. One such player is the 2014 Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez. He scored six goals in the tournament. This earned him a move to Real Madrid. In an interview, he revealed that Manchester City and PSG also wanted him. He said, “PSG and City both wanted me. Both teams came with more significant offers than Madrid, but I wanted glory; I wanted Real Madrid. Florentino Pérez called me and said to convince me, Do you want money or glory?’ and then I told him that I wanted glory. He replied, ‘Well, it’s done’.”

Real Madrid paid a transfer fee of $101 million for the world cup’s breakout star. The Colombian international did well for the Spanish giants in his first season. He scored 17 goals and provided 18 assists for Los Blancos. However, injuries started troubling him afterward. His contributions also began to decline. Finally, in the 2017–18 season, Zinedine Zidane told him to leave the club. Despite his up-and-down season, he won two Champions League trophies, three FIFA Club World Cup trophies, and much more.

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James Rodriguez is not the first to get influenced by Florentino Perez and Real Madrid. Many superstars have joined under the leadership of Perez. This is what makes the Spanish giants different from others in the transfer windows.

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Florentino Perez changed the approach of Real Madrid during transfer windows

Real Madrid was struggling to keep its finances together before the arrival of Florentino Perez. Hence, to improve the situation, he started the Galacticos approach. They would bring world-class players to the club to increase their revenue. It was a very aggressive approach that worked. The first-ever Galactico move was the controversial signing of Luis Figo from rival Barcelona.

These types of signings helped the club double its revenues in Florentino’s first season in charge. However, the financial situation improved further when they brought in David Beckham from Manchester United. He earned less than Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario. However, he became the highest-earning player after the endorsement money was paid to him. Perez made sure that 50% of the image rights money went to the club.

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Since then, players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and currently Jude Bellingham have arrived as superstars at the club. This has also helped Real Madrid earn huge financial income and compete for the best trophies every season.

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Written by:

Anuj Nikhil Virjiani

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One take at a time

I can't express how deep my passion for the sport runs, especially when it comes to the English Premier League. Over the years, I've dedicated myself to understanding the intricate details of the game, both on and off the field. What's fascinating is that my beloved club is Newcastle United, and I've been on a rollercoaster journey with them, from their triumphant promotion from the second tier to the recent takeover and even their remarkable qualification for the Champions League last season.
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Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen