19 Facts About Lorenzo Sanz

Lorenzo Sanz Mancebo was a Spanish businessman who was the 14th President of Real Madrid and a former owner of Malaga.

Lorenzo Sanz was born in August 1943 in a humble family in Madrid, being the eldest of ten siblings.

Lorenzo Sanz began his business career with a wallpaper factory.

Lorenzo Sanz was linked to Fuerza Nueva, an extreme right-wing party for which he managed advertising.

In 1985, Lorenzo Sanz left Blas Pinar's notary and was appointed as a member of the board of directors of Real Madrid, chaired by Ramon Mendoza, while he shifted his professional activities towards the real-estate sector by joining the Swiss Jose Antonio Roth, a wealthy developer who controlled the real-estate development company Barada.

Lorenzo Sanz would borrow funds from Grupo Barada to acquire land through his own companies and then use his influence through Real Madrid's presidential box, frequently visited by politicians and the spanish jet set.

In 1995 Lorenzo Sanz became president of Real Madrid after covering, with the economic support of Barada, the majority of the 1,045 million pesetas of financial guarantees required by LaLiga.

Lorenzo Sanz was a director of Real Madrid from 1985 to 1995.

Lorenzo Sanz then became President of Real Madrid on 26 November 1995 after Ramon Mendoza was forced to resign due to the economic, social, and sporting problems of the club.

Lorenzo Sanz tried to turn the club around by bringing in star players like Davor Suker and Predrag Mijatovic with his own money.

Lorenzo Sanz then tried unsuccessfully twice to regain his former position as the president of Real Madrid, and failed in a bid to take over Parma.

Between June 2005 and January 2006, Lorenzo Sanz was negotiating with Italian club Parma in Amministrazione Straordinaria to become the club's new owner.

The first time Parma announced negotiations with Lorenzo Sanz was in August 2005.

Until January 2006, the Lorenzo Sanz family was still transacting business with Bondi and Angiolini, but to no avail.

Parma administrators stated that after 16 January 2006, the club was free to find other interested buyers as the contract with Lorenzo Sanz expired on 15 January 2006.

The deal with Lorenzo Sanz was a big dilemma for the Parma fans.

Lorenzo Sanz announced in 2006 that he was putting himself up for election for the vacant President's position at Real Madrid, losing it to Ramon Calderon.

Lorenzo Sanz was the father-in-law of former Real Madrid and Spain national team defender Michel Salgado, who married his daughter Malula.

Lorenzo Sanz died in the evening of 21 March 2020 at the age of 76, after testing positive for COVID-19.