Real Madrid News
Florentino Perez sets date to fulfil Real Madrid presidential election promise
Real Madrid members are set to receive a unique piece of club history next year, with Florentino Perez preparing to fulfil one of the promises he made during his successful presidential election campaign.
According to AS, Los Blancos will distribute an exclusive official shirt to every club member in March 2027, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the club.
Exclusive shirt will not be sold
Perez introduced the initiative during the final stages of his election campaign against Enrique Riquelme, which ended with the incumbent president securing 65 percent of the vote.
The promise was simple: every Real Madrid member would receive an official shirt regardless of age, gender or length of membership.
However, this will not simply be another version of Real Madrid’s regular kit.
The shirt, nicknamed La Socia, will feature a unique design and individual insignia. The 125th anniversary will also be incorporated into the design when the first edition is released.
Crucially, supporters will not be able to purchase it through Real Madrid’s official stores.
It will be produced exclusively for the club’s almost 100,000 members, giving the shirt genuine collectable value.
The club will contact members individually to determine the correct shirt size before distribution.
March chosen for the historic anniversary
Real Madrid will celebrate 125 years of existence on 6 March 2027, and the club intends to use that anniversary to launch the first edition of the initiative.
The plan is also designed to continue beyond the anniversary. Members are expected to receive a different historic design each year, meaning every edition will be unique and could potentially form part of a long-term collection.
For Perez, it represents the fulfilment of an election promise. For Madrid members, it is a recognition of their special place in the club’s identity.
Perez continues to make waves in his new term
While this may be an initiative Perez is working on off the pitch, things seem to be falling into place on the pitch as well.
Perez appointed Jose Mourinho as the new manager after he was voted in and has backed him handsomely with a number of star signings.
The club have brought in the likes of Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Carlos Espi and Yan Diomande.
Los Blancos have also reached an agreement with Racing Santander to sign Sergio Martinez, who looks set to be fast-tracked into the first team.
The upcoming season is massive for Perez after a couple of trophyless years, and it remains to be seen whether his decisions are vindicated.
Kylian Mbappe’s blistering start to the season has already hit its first bump, with the Real Madrid forward’s missed penalty against Real Betis exposing an area of his game that has historically been less reliable.
Mbappe had given Madrid fans plenty of reasons for optimism in the opening weeks.
He scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad before finding the net again against Malaga, making it four goals across his first three matches of the season.
The performance against Betis, though, was a different story.
Mbappe struggled to make the same impact and then missed an injury-time penalty, with Alvaro Valles making the save as Madrid eventually suffered a 0-1 defeat.
Mbappe’s penalty numbers make uncomfortable reading
Mbappe’s latest miss adds to a record that is far from elite when compared with some of Real Madrid’s previous specialists.
Including the Betis penalty, Mbappe has now missed 16 of the 81 penalties he has taken during his career, excluding shoot-outs. That represents a failure rate of 19.7%.
His numbers with Real Madrid are even less convincing, having converted 19 of 24 penalties for the club, meaning his miss rate stands at 20.8%, effectively one missed penalty in every five attempts.
Mbappe’s record compared with Madrid legends
The comparison with Real Madrid’s previous penalty takers provides better context.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed only 13 of his 92 penalties, giving him a miss rate of 14.1%. Sergio Ramos was considerably more dependable, missing just one of his 23 attempts, which is a rate of 4.3%.
All three sets of figures exclude penalty shoot-outs, making the comparison more relevant to normal match situations.
Mbappe therefore has work to do if he is to reach the level of reliability expected from a team’s primary penalty taker.
Sure, his overall goalscoring numbers remain outstanding, but penalties are an important part of that production.
Mourinho should keep faith with Mbappe
Meanwhile, there is little reason for Jose Mourinho or the Real Madrid dressing room to lose confidence in Mbappe because of one miss on matchday four.
His opening performances, particularly the hat-trick against Real Sociedad, provide ample evidence of his quality, and the greater concern may be psychological rather than tactical.
Mbappe’s confidence from the spot will be worth watching, especially because of what he is chasing this season.
The Ballon d’Or, Pichichi and Golden Boot are all among his ambitions, and penalties offer a valuable route towards the goals required for those prizes.
