Real Madrid’s Shortest Manager Reigns Under Florentino Perez

Job security has never been guaranteed for managers during Florentino Perez’s tenure as Real Madrid president.

From José Antonio Camacho (left) to Xabi Alonso (right), no Real Madrid manager is safe under Florentino Pérez’s command. / Jun Sato/WireImage/Getty Images, Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images, Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Real Madrid have enjoyed tremendous success under the vigilant eye of long-time president Florentino Pérez, but the prominent figure is also known to have a short patience when it comes to managers.

Pérez has made Real Madrid a team that attracts the best talent in the world, the era of “Galácticos” in Spain’s capital dates back to when the Spaniard took office in 2000. Pérez has served two terms as president, the first from 2000 to 2006, before he returned in 2009 to the post he still occupies today.

The constant arrival of world-class stars to Real Madrid can only be matched by the routine shuffling of managers on the Bernabéu touchline. Across Pérez’s two terms, nearly 20 managers have come and gone, making Real Madrid one of the most difficult jobs for a manager.

Xabi Alonso became the latest victim of Pérez’s ruthless managerial carrousel, leaving the club after less than a season in charge.

In the aftermath of the latest managerial change Pérez has overseen, we look back at the shortest manager tenures of the 15-time European champions during the Pérez era.

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The Shortest Tenured Real Madrid Managers of Florentino Perez Era

José Antonio Camacho (left) was the quickest victim of Florentino Pérez’s axe. / Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty Images

No manager has fallen victim to the pressure that comes with being in charge of the biggest team in the world faster than José Antonio Camacho, who lasted just six games as Real Madrid’s boss. The legendary Real Madrid player returned to manage the Galácticos in 2004, but after a couple of defeats in La Liga and the Champions League, he resigned his charge in shockingly quick fashion. Camacho has the unwanted honor of topping this list.

Julen Lopetegui comes in second, lasting just 14 games in charge to start the 2018–19 season. The appointment appeared doomed from the start, as Los Blancos highjacked Lopetegui from Spain’s national team mere days before the start of the 2018 World Cup. Trying fill the shoes left by Zinedine Zidane—who had won three Champions League titles in a row—was an impossible task, and Lopetegui was dismissed after a humiliating 5–1 defeat in the first El Clásico of the season.

The podium is completed by Mariano García Ramón, who lasted 20 games after Pérez appointed him to replace Camacho. Although results were far from catastrophic, he didn’t fully impress the demanding president, who opted to look for a third manager halfway through the 2004–25 campaign.

Only a year after García Ramón’s departure, Juan Ramón López Caro lasted just 24 games, failing to achieve success in 2005–06. He became the last manager Pérez appointed and then sacked during his first term as president. Fast forward a decade and Rafael Benítez lasted just one more game than López Caro. Although Benítez was stellar for Liverpool in the past, he had a nightmare seven months with Los Blancos, struggling to manage a star-studded side in the aftermath of Carlo Ancelotti’s exit—sound familiar?

Rafael Benítez (left) failed to impose his authority over star players such as Cristiano Ronaldo. / Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Juande Ramos lasted 27 games at the helm during the 2008–09 season, but falling 6–2 in El Clásico at the Bernabéu to lose any chance at silverware against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona was unforgivable for Pérez, who swiftly fired him after returning for his second term as president.

Up next is Santiago Solari, who was promoted from Real Madrid Castilla in the aftermath of Lopetegui’s sacking. Except he could only remain at the job for 32 matches before Pérez pleaded with Zidane to return less than a season after his departure. The pummeling at the hand of Ajax that ended Real Madrid’s three-year Champions League reign was Solari’s final nail in the coffin.

Xabi Alonso became the eighth-shortest tenured manager of the Pérez era, lasting just 34 games at the job. There was plenty of excitement when he arrived following his success at Bayer Leverkusen, but the former midfield maestro struggled to implement his tactics. Combined with relationship fractures with star players and losing to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final saw him become the latest target of Pérez’s wrath.

The list is completed by Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who lasted 45 games, and Manuel Pellegrini, who managed just three more. Both led prolific goalscoring sides and Pellegrini even had a remarkable La Liga season, but la ack of trophies won’t see you last long under Pérez, as the pair found out.

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Rank	Manager	Games Managed	Tenure
1	José Antonio Camacho	6	May–Sept. 2004
2	Julen Lopetegui	14	June–Oct. 2018
3	Mariano García Ramón	20	Sept.–Dec 2004
4	Juan Ramón López Caro	24	Dec. 2005–June 2006
5	Rafael Benítez	25	June 2015–Jan. 2016
6	Juande Ramos	27	Dec. 2008–June 2009
7	Santiago Solari	32	Oct. 2018–March 2019
8	Xabi Alonso	34	June 2025–Jan. 2026
9	Vanderlei Luxemburgo	45	Dec. 2004–Dec. 2005
10	Manuel Pellegrini	48	June 2009–May 2010

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