Perez ignored Ronaldo and Benzema when naming Real Madrid's 'buy of the century'

Florentino Perez ignored the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema when naming Real Madrid's 'best signing' of the century.

The 77-year-old is currently in his second stint as president of the La Liga side, having previously taken on the role between 2000 and 2006.

During his time at the club, he has transferred names like Ronaldo, Luka Modric, and several other world-class players.

But who does he consider the best of all the recruits?

Well, you would expect the answer to that question to be the Portuguese, Real Madrid's all-time record goalscorer with 451 goals in just 438 appearances for the club.

However, that apparently wasn't enough for Perez, who dubbed Toni Kroos the club's 'transfer of the century' - according to the German's agent.

"Just before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Florentino (Perez) invited me to lunch," Volker Struth said on Philipp Westermeyer's OMR podcast in 2022.

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"He's an incredibly nice person with a wonderful life story. He seems like an entrepreneur, but he's still human."

"He explained to me why Toni is Real Madrid's signing of the century for him. Kroos is unbeatable in terms of value for money," he added.

Perez's admiration for the former Germany midfielder comes as no surprise when you consider he helped Madrid win 21 trophies, including four La Liga and five Champions League triumphs during his time at the club.

In May 2024, Kroos announced that he would retire from football after Euro 2024, but his final match in club football was Madrid's 2–0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley. /Telegraph/