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Real Madrid legend Luis Figo recently spoke about his failed transfer to Liverpool back in 2005.
Figo is widely considered one of the greatest Portuguese footballers of all time. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2000 and numerous team trophies. He became a divisive figure when he left Barcelona in 2000 to join arch-rivals Real Madrid and spent five years with them.
Figo scored 57 goals and provided 93 assists in 245 games for Los Blancos, winning one UEFA Champions League, among other honors. When he decided to leave the club in 2005, he received interest from multiple big clubs, including Liverpool. However, they delayed the process, which deterred Figo from joining them.
He recently said in an interview with Goal:
"Yes, it was a possibility at that time. It was close, I was negotiating with Rafa [Benitez], but in the end it didn’t happen for different reasons. Liverpool at the time were struggling and not making a decision on whether to sign me, so I decided not to go there.
"I don’t know [what they were waiting for], but every week they were like ‘We’re waiting to do this’ and then they sign one player, ‘We’re waiting’ and then they sign another. So I said ‘Come on, this cannot happen, I cannot wait too long’.”
Figo eventually joined Inter Milan, where he spent four years before retiring in 2009. He made 140 appearances for them, scoring 11 goals and providing 36 assists.
Real Madrid star Rodrygo explains why he turned down a move to Liverpool
Real Madrid winger Rodrygo Goes also recently revealed that he was close to joining the Reds in 2017 but rejected the move. Then at Santos, the Brazilian forward wanted to remain at the club, develop further and complete his studies.
“I almost joined Liverpool in 2017, the deal was done for €3m."
“It collapsed because I said no. I wanted to stay at Santos, make history, finish my studies and then leave… even though the offer from #LFC was very good.”
Rodrgyo then joined Real Madrid in 2019 for a reported fee of €45 million and has contributed 53 goals and 40 assists in 208 senior games for them. He has won one UEFA Champions League trophy and two La Liga titles with them, among other honors.
Interestingly, as per Goal (via Team Talk), Liverpool are again monitoring Rodrygo as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian winger has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.
