Sanz was a director of Real Madrid from 1985 to 1995. He then became President of Real Madrid on 26 November 1995 after Ramón Mendoza was forced to resign due to the economic, social, and sporting problems of the club. Sanz tried to turn the club around by bringing in star players like Davor Šuker and Predrag Mijatović with his own money. This led to a long-awaited UEFA Champions League victory, which Real Madrid had not won since 1966, as the club won both the 1998 and 2000 finals.