He is best known in the UK as the man who brought David Beckham, and now Cristiano Ronaldo, to Real Madrid, but club president Florentino Pérez is equally famous in Spain for being the chairman and main shareholder in construction group ACS.

As Spain’s biggest builder and civil works contractor, the company has been hit hard by the global recession. But ACS is in better shape than most, which is testament to Mr Pérez’s sharp business acumen and a huge circle of influential friends and contacts.