Even Real Madrid’s many detractors(批评者，贬低者) would concede that under Florentino Pérez, its president for most of the past 25 years, it has been the world’s dominant football club. In that period it won each of the European Champions League, the World Club Championship and the Spanish league seven times. Its latest revenues of €1.2bn ($1.4bn) are ten times higher(高出十倍) than in 2000.
就连皇家马德里的众多批评者也会承认，在弗洛伦蒂诺·佩雷斯（他在过去25年的大部分时间里担任主席）的领导下，皇马一直是世界足坛的霸主。在此期间，皇马七次夺得欧洲冠军联赛、世俱杯和西甲联赛冠军。其最新营收为12亿欧元（合14亿美元），是2000年的十倍。
But the team has become dysfunctional(功能失调的), with no grand trophy for two years. This month two players quarrelled twice during training and were each fined €500,000. A recent spineless surrender(软弱无力的投降) to Barcelona gifted their arch-rivals the league title. And fans have taken to booing Kylian Mbappé, the team’s highest-paid player.
但球队已经功能失调，两年没有获得重大奖杯。本月两名球员在训练中两次争吵，各被罚款50万欧元。最近一次对巴塞罗那的懦弱投降，拱手将联赛冠军送给了宿敌。球迷们也开始对球队收入最高的球员基利安·姆巴佩发出嘘声。
Mr Pérez, a 79-year-old construction magnate(大亨，巨头), has faced other setbacks. His plan for a European league was squashed. An expansion of the Bernabéu stadium, originally budgeted at €575m, has cost €1.3bn and counting(并且还在增加). On May 11th Mr Pérez suddenly called his first press conference in more than ten years. He gave a rambling and paranoid performance, attacking the press, referees and a campaign “in the shadows” against him. Only 16 months into a four-year term, he announced a fresh election for the presidency.
现年79岁的建筑大亨佩雷斯还遭遇了其他挫折。他组建欧洲超级联赛的计划被否决。伯纳乌球场的扩建工程最初预算为5.75亿欧元，目前已花费13亿欧元，而且还在不断增加。5月11日，佩雷斯突然召开了十多年来的首次新闻发布会。他发表了一场漫无边际且偏执的讲话，攻击媒体、裁判以及一场针对他的“暗处”运动。在四年任期仅过去16个月时，他宣布举行新的主席选举。