Perez: 'The two biggest Real Madrid frauds are Raul and Casillas'

Cameron Smith

• 13 Jul 2021 13:51 BST
• 3 min read

Audio has been leaked which reveals Real Madrid president Florentino Perez calling both Raul and Iker Casillas "frauds" after he left the club in 2006.

Perez was president of the club between 2000 and 2006, before returning for a second term in 2009. Shortly after his resignation in February 2006, he made damning indictments of the pair of Real Madrid legends and these comments have been published by El Confidencial.

The leaked audio displays Perez's criticism of the two players, despite their legendary status at the club.

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What did Perez say?

Perez said: "Casillas is not a Real Madrid standard goalkeeper, what can I say? He's not and never has been.

"He has been a big failure of ours. The problem is people adore him, love him, talk to him, they defend him so much.

"He is one of the biggest frauds and the other is Raul, the two biggest Real Madrid frauds are first Raul and second Casillas."

Whilst those two were the subject of the majority of anger from Perez's part, but he also had a low opinion of the whole group of players. "The players are very selfish, you can't count on them for anything.

"If you do, you've made a mistake and they'll let you down, it's ridiculous.

"I have an awful view of the players."

Raul is currently the manager of Real Madrid Castilla and this recorded conversation will no doubt cause friction between him and the president of Los Blancos. The former striker is the club's second highest ever goal-scorer and their record appearance maker.

As for Casillas, he played a total of 725 games for the club, and it's fair to say that Perez's comments will be met with immense criticism given the pair singled out are two of the club's greatest ever players.

Perez carried on to say: "Raul is bad, he believes that Madrid is his and uses everything that is in Madrid for his own benefit.

"He is a negative figure, he is destroying Madrid and the morale of the players so that they say: 'It is Madrid that is bad, not Raul.' It is terrible how bad the boy is."