Ramón Mendoza
Encyclopedia
Ramón Mendoza was a Spanish
lawyer and business man, most famous for his stint as football chairman of Real Madrid
from 1985 until 1995. He was born in Madrid
, Spain
.
Mendoza became president on 24 May 1985 when he was the only candidate at the elections for chairman of the club. He once again had no opponent in the next elections (23 July 1988) and beat opposing candidate Alfonso Ussía by 20% of the votes (15.005 to 10.531) in January 1991 to secure his third term. He won a fourth term in 1994. In elections which were dominated by accusations of fraud, corruption and mismanagement of the club, he nevertheless managed to beat Florentino Pérez
by 700 votes.
His first years leading the club were very successful and saw the rise of the Quinta del Buitre
. Real Madrid won a record 5 consecutive league titles
and was considered one of the best teams in Europe
at the time. However, the club never managed to win the European Cup
during those years, losing memorable ties to clubs as Bayern München, PSV Eindhoven and Arrigo Sacchi's
AC Milan. The second half of his presidency was marked by a slow decline in the successes of the club, a fact that was highlighted by a very strong Barcelona team
.
In 1995 he was forced to give up the presidency after admitting that the club had a debt of 14.000 million peseta
s. He was succeeded by Lorenzo Sanz
, who had been vice-president during his last term.
His ten years at the helm of the club make his presidency the second longest in the history of Real Madrid after the presidency of Santiago Bernabeu (1943-1978). Bernabeu is also the only president to accumulate more trophies than Mendoza with Real Madrid. With Mendoza as president the club won 6 Spanish Ligas
, 2 Spanish Cups
, 1 UEFA Cup
and 3 Super Cups
.
Mendoza died in 2001 while on holidays in Nassau
, Bahamas.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
lawyer and business man, most famous for his stint as football chairman of Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
from 1985 until 1995. He was born in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Mendoza became president on 24 May 1985 when he was the only candidate at the elections for chairman of the club. He once again had no opponent in the next elections (23 July 1988) and beat opposing candidate Alfonso Ussía by 20% of the votes (15.005 to 10.531) in January 1991 to secure his third term. He won a fourth term in 1994. In elections which were dominated by accusations of fraud, corruption and mismanagement of the club, he nevertheless managed to beat Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez Rodríguez is a Spanish businessman, civil engineer, former politician, and current president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, as well as ACS...
by 700 votes.
His first years leading the club were very successful and saw the rise of the Quinta del Buitre
Quinta del Buitre
La Quinta del Buitre is the moniker given by Spanish sport journalist Julio César Iglesias to the five homegrown Real Madrid players who were at the core of the team that dominated Spanish football in the 1980s. The name was derived from Emilio Butragueño's nickname El Buitre, the most charismatic...
. Real Madrid won a record 5 consecutive league titles
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
and was considered one of the best teams in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
at the time. However, the club never managed to win the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
during those years, losing memorable ties to clubs as Bayern München, PSV Eindhoven and Arrigo Sacchi's
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian football coach. He is best known for his success coaching Italian teams, particularly with Milan where he won back to back European Cups as coach in the late eighties where he was head coach of the Italy national football team . He was twice manager of A.C...
AC Milan. The second half of his presidency was marked by a slow decline in the successes of the club, a fact that was highlighted by a very strong Barcelona team
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
.
In 1995 he was forced to give up the presidency after admitting that the club had a debt of 14.000 million peseta
Spanish peseta
The peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra .- Etymology :...
s. He was succeeded by Lorenzo Sanz
Lorenzo Sanz
Lorenzo Sanz Mancebo is a Spanish businessman, former president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol and former owner of Málaga Club de Fútbol, where his son Fernando served as club's president.- Early life :In his youth, Sanz played as a goalkeeper for several minor league Madrilenian teams, including...
, who had been vice-president during his last term.
His ten years at the helm of the club make his presidency the second longest in the history of Real Madrid after the presidency of Santiago Bernabeu (1943-1978). Bernabeu is also the only president to accumulate more trophies than Mendoza with Real Madrid. With Mendoza as president the club won 6 Spanish Ligas
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, 2 Spanish Cups
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
, 1 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
and 3 Super Cups
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
.
Mendoza died in 2001 while on holidays in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, Bahamas.