What’s the story?
Former Barcelona and Real Madrid star, Luis Figo has explained why he left the Catalan giants for their hated La Liga rivals. The Portuguese star’s move across the El Clasico divide is arguably the most controversial of all time.
In an interview with the official La Liga website, Figo explained the move, saying “At the end of the day, if you’re not really feeling 100% recognised at the core of what you deliver and what you do, not by the fans, but from those who manage the club, when you have other offers you consider a change and that was what happened.”
In case you didn’t know...
Luis Figo joined Barcelona in 1995 for a £2.25 million fee, and quickly became the heartbeat of the club, forming some incredible partnerships with the likes of Ronaldo, Patrick Kluivert and Rivaldo. The Portuguese star’s support for Catalan independence made him a fan-favourite, which quickly turned to hatred when the controversial move to Madrid was announced.
Real Madrid met his buyout clause to entice him for a world record fee (€60 million), which meant that Luis Figo collected the Ballon d’Or award in 2000 as a Real Madrid player – largely for his performances in a Barcelona shirt the previous season.
Here is how he was received by the Barcelona fans in the next El Clasico:
The heart of the matter
Given the vitriol associated with the transfer, Luis Figo has always been diplomatic whenever talking about the issue, but has now chosen to give more depth to the reasons behind his move. In addition to the lack of recognition, the Portuguese legend also noted that he did hesitate before moving, but the ‘people’ at Real Madrid convinced him to move.
Figo also played down ‘sporting and economic’ factors as the reason behind the move, citing that he learned a lot from Johan Cruyff when he arrived at Barcelona.
What’s next?
Luis Figo is already persona non grata in Barcelona and these comments are likely to pour fire on the hatred Barcelona fans feel towards the Portuguese star.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Luis Figo gets quite a bit of hate for his move, but the Portuguese star was quite justified in his move across the El Clasico divide. Real Madrid began the Galacticos era with a bang, picking up the UEFA Champions League in 2000 and 2002, with Figo being integral to those victories. He might be hated in Barcelona, but Figo is a Real Madrid icon now, which means that he is probably justified in making these comments now.
