The staggering amount Florentino Perez has paid for Real Madrid managers over the years

The staggering amount Florentino Perez has paid for Real Madrid managers over the years Few presidents in football history have influenced a club’s identity quite like Florentino Perez has at Real Madrid. The Real Madrid president is often associated with blockbuster signings, Galactico eras and ambitious infrastructure projects, but another aspect of his legacy has developed over the last two decades: his willingness to invest heavily in managers. According to AS , Florentino Perez has spent over €75 million on coaches during his two spells in charge of the club.  The figure includes release clauses paid to previous employers, compensation packages, severance payments and settlements. In total, as many as 15 managers have worked under Perez, with some returning for second spells, creating a managerial timeline that mirrors the highs and lows of modern Real Madrid history. Real Madrid managers under Florentino Perez When Florentino Perez first arrived at Real Madrid in 2000, Vicente del Bosque was already in charge. Unlike many of the names that followed, Del Bosque left without costing the club anything in severance payments, as his contract simply expired and was not renewed. Carlos Queiroz was the first managerial appointment of the Perez era. Recruited from Manchester United, the Portuguese coach was handed a two-year deal but lasted only one season.  Manuel Pellegrini was signed in 2009. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images) Real Madrid still had to pay him approximately €1.35 million for the remaining year of his contract. The instability continued, as the next Real Madrid manager, Jose Antonio Camacho, resigned after only a handful of matches during the 2004-05 season and received close to €900,000 in compensation. Mariano Garcia Remon, who was Camacho’s assistant, then took charge before being dismissed a few months later, costing Madrid another €227,500. Determined to find a fresh direction, Florentino appointed Vanderlei Luxemburgo, making him the first Brazilian manager in Real Madrid history. The experiment ultimately failed, as Luxemburgo departed in December 2005 but later pursued legal action to claim the remainder of his contract. A court ruled in his favour, and Madrid were ordered to pay him €1.8 million. Juan Ramon Lopez-Caro followed, but his tenure coincided with Florentino Perez’s resignation in 2006, meaning compensation was not required. New era of managers under Perez Florentino returned to power in 2009 and immediately began another rebuild. Ancelotti helped Real Madrid to win the much-awaited La Decima. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) His first choice was Manuel Pellegrini, who arrived from Villarreal after Real Madrid paid €4 million to release him from his contract. However, the Chilean lasted only one season and left with a severance package worth €2.6 million. The real turning point came in 2010 when Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid changed the club’s direction completely. Fresh from winning the treble with Inter Milan, Mourinho arrived in Madrid carrying a reputation as one of football’s elite tacticians. Reports from Italy suggested Real Madrid paid as much as €16 million to secure his services, although official figures have always remained a topic of debate. Eventually, Mourinho departed in 2013 and Florentino later described it as a mutual agreement, ensuring no severance package had to be paid. His replacement was another established winner, with Carlo Ancelotti arriving at Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, who were paid €4.5 million to release the Italian coach. Ancelotti guided Madrid to the long-awaited La Decima but left in 2015 after failing to secure major silverware in his second season. His departure reportedly cost the club around €3.7 million. Zidane’s managerial stints were very successful. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images) Rafa Benitez was next, but his time at the Santiago Bernabeu lasted only a few months before Florentino made another bold call. Benitez’s dismissal added another €4 million to the club’s managerial expenses, and the answer eventually came from within. Zinedine Zidane stepped up from Castilla and transformed Real Madrid’s fortunes almost immediately. Three consecutive Champions League triumphs elevated Zidane into legendary status. Yet despite his immense success, his relationship with the club hierarchy eventually deteriorated. After leaving in 2018, reports suggested the Frenchman waived compensation worth almost €20 million. When he returned in 2019 and departed again in 2021, Zidane once more relinquished a significant sum, reportedly around €12 million. His decisions arguably saved Real Madrid more money than any other coach in Florentino’s presidency. A list that follows A certain Julen Lopetegui arrived in 2018 amid controversy following his departure from the Spanish national team, but his stay in Madrid was brief. Julen Lopetegui was sacked within months. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) Having signed a lucrative three-year contract, he reportedly received around €3 million in compensation after his dismissal. Santiago Solari followed before eventually moving on from the club. Then came Ancelotti’s second spell. This time, Real Madrid paid Everton €5 million to bring the Italian back to Spain. Given his reported gross salary of €11 million annually, his departure also carried an estimated severance cost of €5.5 million. Florentino then looked toward a new generation. Xabi Alonso returned to Madrid after an impressive period with Bayer Leverkusen. Reports indicate Real Madrid paid approximately €12 million to secure his services. His exit later added another €8 million to the overall managerial bill. Alvaro Arbeloa was another internal appointment, arriving from Castilla. Benitez’s dismissal cost Real Madrid €4 million. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images) Although his contract was significantly smaller than those of his predecessors, estimates suggest his departure could still amount to around €4 million. Now the story has come full circle. Mourinho is back. Real Madrid paid Benfica €15 million to trigger his release clause and bring the Portuguese manager back to the Santiago Bernabeu. From Del Bosque to Mourinho, from Zidane to Ancelotti, Real Madrid managerial history under Florentino Perez has been defined by ambition, bold decisions and a willingness to spend whatever is necessary in pursuit of glory. Whether Mourinho’s second spell becomes another success story or another costly chapter remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Florentino Perez has never been afraid to invest in the dugout if he believes it can keep Real Madrid at the pinnacle of world football.