When Florentino Perez's name started to become widely known in Spain just over three years ago, many were caught by surprise. Who was this newcomer, so modest and unassuming?

How could this suited, bespectacled and respectable-looking type take on the corporate and financial heavyweights? He was still unmodishly married to his first wife, lived a quiet life on the outer fringes of Madrid society, did not own a car or yacht and lived for football, work and his dogs. Even more astonishing, he had not a single ¡Hola! photo appearance to his credit.