Real Madrid president ‘had Disney theme park plans with Zidane ride’

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Florentino Perez launched an audacious plot to move Real Madrid out of the Bernabeu and into a theme park called ‘RealMadridLand’, according to a new book on former Los Blancos star Cristiano Ronaldo’s rivalry with Lionel Messi. The eccentric club president had even drawn sketches of roller-coasters that followed the trajectory of famous goals. 

One of those goals was Zinedine Zidane’s thumping volley against Bayer Leverkusen to win the 2002 Champions League final. Perez even held meetings with Disney CEO Michael Eisner in a bid to see his plans see the light of day. 

The idea arrived as Perez mulled over ways to keep up with the state-backed wealth of both Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. He started to put the plans into fruition at the start of the 2017-18 season but they ultimately failed. 

Perez realised Madrid must do something seismic to create the same buzz that a major galactico signing would spark, and the engineering billionaire came up with the idea of a theme park. When concerns were put forward about the eyebrow-raising decision to place a training ground in the middle of the complex, Perez was dismissive of the notion that opposition teams could easily scout practice sessions. 

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“People see all that stuff anyway,” the Spaniard is reported to have said. The incredible revelation is detailed in a new book on the rivalry between two of football’s greatest players, Messi vs Ronaldo. 

Perez’s project fell apart when he and Eisner realised they would need 75 per cent more than the £1.2billion budget the 75-year-old had secured. The idea had initially come to the Real Madrid chief in 2004 but he did not act on it for another 13 years. 

‘RealMadridLand’ would have served as a multi-purpose headquarters with an amusement park and a stadium near the club’s Valdebebas base. One of the book’s sources claims Perez said: “In our world, we are as big as Disney. Real Madrid must do things like this because we are the number-one club, and the only way we will remain there is by always being the first big innovator.”

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The ultimate failure of the plans prompted Perez to begin discussions over forming the infamous European Super League. The idea went public in April 2021 to mass public dissent. 

Clubs eventually started to distance themselves from the ESL but Perez remains hopeful that the tournament will one day take place. He said in early October: “Our beloved sport is ill, losing global leadership. The young people are increasingly less interested, a trend to revert before it is too late. The new generations prefer other spectacles, like the online platforms or video games.

“They are asking for a quality product that football does not provide because the current competitions do not attract them… Even the final phases. With maximum respect to the national leagues, the big European leagues should offer matches throughout the year, matches that bring the young people back.”

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