Luis Figo picks ‘safe and important’ star as Barcelona player he would sign for Real Madrid

Former Real Madrid star Luis Figo has picked Spanish midfielder Pedri as the Barcelona player he would sign from the Catalan side for Los Blancos. He believes that the youngster is reliable, and his importance is shown on the pitch.

Speaking to the media (via SPORT), Figo named Federico Valverde as the Real Madrid player he would sign for Barcelona. He did not offer any explanation, but stated that the Uruguayan would improve Hansi Flick's side.

When asked to name the Barcelona star heading in the opposite direction, he opted for Pedri. He claimed that the Spaniard is what Xabi Alonso's side needs and said:

"If I could sign someone from Barça for Real Madrid, it would be Pedri. [He is] safe and important players in their teams."

Pedri had a trial with Los Blancos when he was a teenager, but was rejected by the Spanish giants. He joined the Catalan side a few days later in 2020 and opened up about the rejection in 2022. He told MARCA:

"I went there [to Real Madrid] and the first few days I couldn't train because there was snow on the pitches. I trained for three days. I think they were playing, and they took me down with the B team to train, and in the end they told me that I didn't have the level to be there and that they were going to leave me to keep looking.

"At first, you don't like being rejected anywhere, but then it motivates you to think that if they didn't want you, now you're going to work hard so that something else can come in the future. Now I'm where I want to be [at Barça]. I have never met the person who said no to me. I don't remember who he is. I would tell him that now I am enjoying myself at Barça."

Pedri has played 12 matches for Barcelona against Real Madrid in his career. He has scored twice and assisted once, while winning six games and losing as many times.

Luis Figo has experience of moving from Barcelona to Real Madrid

Portugal legend Luis Figo was at the peak of his game when he played for Barcelona in 2000. He stunned the world in the summer window and made a switch to Real Madrid, after they met his €62 million buyout clause, setting a new world record.

He opened up about the move and admitted that players would be safer to make the switch now, as they are offered more protection. He told The Guardian in 2022:

"These days, there's more protection. It felt like I was doing a press conference every day. That takes its toll. We were starting to tour, a new idea, there was the rivalry, the pressure, the price. Not everyone likes God, how is everyone going to like me? My only concern was if something happened physically, some madman. But go and play football? Nah! In football there's no reason to be scared."

Figo played 249 matches during his time at Barcelona, scoring 45 goals and assisting 91 times. He played 245 games for Real Madrid, scoring 58 goals and assisting 94 times.