Florentino Perez is the power behind the world record bid for Cristiano Ronaldo, but at a time of global economic crisis it seems incredible he is splashing out so much.

But the Spanish billionaire businessman, a former politician who made his money in the construction industry, is a clever operator. In fact, the purchases of £56m Kaka from AC Milan and the proposed £80m addition of Ronaldo could turn out to be the deals of the century.

Perez, 62, was the man behind the age of the Galacticos, an era between 2000 and 2006 which saw Zinedine Zidane, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Figo, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Robinho arrive at Madrid.

In footballing terms, it was not a conspicuous success but commercially it worked like a dream.

Madrid have topped Deloitte's rich list for the past four seasons and the majority of cash comes from television revenue, an area in which Madrid dwarf every other club on the globe.

In 2006 they signed a deal with MediaPro for £135m-per-season, that is double United's yearly revenue in TV cash.

The club also have a special hold over local banks - which clubs in England can only dream of. Because of the esteem Madrid are held in, loans are dished out without threat of payment dates because of political pressure to ensure the club do not fail.

Simply put, Real live by their own rules and do not have to worry about the likes of £30m debt payments every year, which United must take into account.

But how does Perez move them onto the next level now that he has returned? It's simple, he understands celebrity - which is why he is kicking off Galacticos II.

During his last spell at the club Real earned £9m simply from playing two exhibition matches in Japan. Marketing is essential, and it is predicted by experts Weber Shandwick Sport that the joint merchandising sales and sponsorship revenue from Kaka and Ronaldo will hit £106m in the first year. The Portuguese star alone is expected to earn the club £46m.