SUMMARY
- Luis Figo played for FC Barcelona from 1995 to 2000.
- Figo moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2000.
Luis Figo is one of the biggest Portuguese soccer players of all time. The right-winger had successful spells in Portugal, Spain, and Italy in the late 1990s and early 2000s that cemented his legacy as one of the best midfielders of all time.
While there are many big highlights in Figo’s career, the biggest highlight and the incident for which the midfielder is always remembered is his controversial transfer from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid in the summer of 2000.
The transfer is considered one of the most shocking moves of all time. It is often discussed among fans and experts in the soccer community. The transfer added another layer to the hatred and heated rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Florentino Perez used Luis Figo to become Real Madrid’s president
In the late 1990s, Barcelona was in financial difficulties. They were struggling to match the demands of their star players, which included Luis Figo. The winger’s agent wanted to make Figo the highest-paid player in the world. On the other side of the country, Real Madrid was looking to reemphasize their stronghold in Europe with a marquee signing.
🎙️ Luis Figo: “I thought I had friends in FC Barcelona, but that wasn’t the case. When I moved to Real, they didn’t want to appear with me because of their Barcelona ties, it was complicated and I didn’t understand it…” 😳
🤬 WTF doesn’t he understand?? 🐷 🐷 pic.twitter.com/WMNj2t2UCD
— Barça Notes 🗒 𝕏 (@BarcaNotes) October 15, 2022
Before the transfer, a rumor was spreading in Spain that the presidential candidate, Florentino Perez had signed a pre-contract with Figo and the winger would join Real Madrid, if Perez won the upcoming election and became president.
Perez announced to Real Madrid’s 83,967 members that if he failed to sign Figo as president, he would return their annual membership and they could watch the upcoming season for free. The solid pitch worked, and Perez became the president of Real Madrid. Following the election, Perez fulfilled his promise and Figo signed for Real Madrid for a world record fee of €62 million.
Florentino Perez used loopholes in FIFA rules to sign a pre-contract with Luis Figo
Many fans at the time were puzzled about the story. There were questions like Why did Luis Figo join Real Madrid? How Perez was able to sign a pre-contract with the winger? Are there any FIFA rules that could have prevented this transfer.
It was later revealed that the fact that Perez wasn’t linked with any club at the time when he signed the contract with Figo’s agent allowed him to escape any punishment from FIFA for breaching their rules regarding player contracts.
Years later, Figo revealed that he held himself responsible for the transfer. As a measure for the future, he stopped working with his agent a year after the controversial move. He stated in an interview with the Guardian: “I’m the one responsible for it, for my actions. The decision to pull them from that responsibility is mine alone. And a year later, I stopped working with my agent.”
The wage struggle of FC Barcelona with Figo and the election in Real Madrid allowed many things to fall in place for Perez. He was able to land a monumental deal that started the Galacticos era at Real Madrid and made him one of the most powerful men in the country.
Luis Figo’s transfer was also covered in a Netflix documentary
The transfer and the whole story behind it was full of drama and excitement. The transfer story has been covered in a Netflix documentary titled, El Caso Figo, or The Figo Affair. It offers all the insights from all the stakeholders that were involved in the transfer.
🎥 | The Figo Affair: The Transfer that Changed Football
A documentary on Luís Figo’s move from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid is coming to @NetflixUK!
— Próxima Jornada (@ProximaJornada1) August 19, 2022
The documentary perfectly captures the pain of FC Barcelona of losing their prized possession and a player that welcomed with open arms. On the other end, it also depicts the joy and excitement that Real Madrid fans felt after landing the best player in the world from their biggest rival.
Luis Figo numbers with Real Madrid
Figo joined in the summer of 2000 and played for five seasons in Madrid. He played 245 matches for Real Madrid, in which he scored 57 goals and 93 assists. He played a similar amount of matches for FC Barcelona but his output there was far less with only 45 goals and 69 assists.
On this day (Saturday 23/11/2002) FC Barcelona and Real Madrid played a scoreless El Clasico. Despite teams featuring Patrick Kluivert, Juan Riquelme, Raul and Luis Figo, not many clear chances were created.
Despite no goals, this match made headlines for Luis Figo’s second… pic.twitter.com/SnTuIxT2tZ
— FCB Goal (@goal_fcb) November 23, 2023
During his stint with Real Madrid, he won the UEFA Champions League in the 2001/02 season. He also won two La Liga titles, one UEFA Super Cup, two Spanish Super Cups, and one Intercontinental Cup. Figo transfer helped in shifting the power in Spain back to Real Madrid from FC Barcelona.
Florentino Perez came out all guns blazing in the early 2000s where he signed Figo in 2000, Zinedine Zidane in 2001, Ronaldo (R9) in 2002, and David Beckham in 2003. Figo’s transfer started a new ideology of signing world-class players for extraordinary fees at Real Madrid, which still has its place in the Spanish club in 2024.
Why did Luis Figo leave Real Madrid?
Figo left Real Madrid in 2005 after his contract ran out with the club. The winger joined Real Madrid when he was 28 years old. Figo was 33 years old in 2005 and the Spanish club wanted to move on from the winger who was moving away from his prime.
#80s90slegends Luis Figo. Creative Winger who ghosted past opponents. Played for Sporting Lisbon, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. 127 caps and 32 goals for Portugal. Famous for leaving Barcelona and joining Real Madrid in 2000 and having a pigs head thrown at him pic.twitter.com/p93ZJBzCwr
— 80s&90sFootball ⚽ (@80s90sfootball) August 27, 2021
Perez didn’t offer a new contract to Figo which allowed him to move away as a free agent. Florentino Perez had a strong influence on the squad of Real Madrid and wasn’t in favor of players who were in their 30s. These are some of the factors that pushed their star signing away from the club.
Perez continued his Galacticos experiment by signing Robinho from Brazil in the summer of 2005. Figo moved on from Real Madrid to Inter Milan where he played till 2009 before retiring from the sport. He played 140 matches for the Italian side in four seasons. He won seven major titles with the club, including four Serie A titles.
