The Magician from Portugal. Review on Luis Figo

Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiroa.k.a Luis Figowas born on November 4th, 1972 in Almada, Portugal. Born in a poor family, Luis started playing football at a very young age with a local club. His talent didn’t go unnoticed and by the age of 12 he was playing in the junior team of one of the top Portuguese clubs, Sporting Lisbon, the club that has produced many top Portuguese players. Figo was the part of the “Golden Generation”of Portuguese football. He won the Under 20 World Cup and the Under 16 European Championship. At the age of 19, Luis Figo got his first International cap.

The Story :

----------------------

After playing for nearly 6 years for his hometown club, Sporting, it was time for Figo to excell in Europe. The Spanish and Italian leagues were where the money is and that was the place he was destined to be. He was all set to go to Italy when a transfer ban of 2 years was imposed. The story was that Figo had signed with Parma as well as Juventus and there was a dispute between these two over the transfer fee. This meant that Figo could not play for any Italian club for two years. Serie A’s loss was Barcelona’s gain. Barca wasted no time and signed him. Dutch legend, Johan Cryuff was the Barca manager at that time. You can put a ban on transfer, but you cannot put a ban on talent. Figo had a very successful time at Barca, scoring many goals. With Barcelona, he won the Spanish League twice (1998 and 1999) and the Cup Winners cup (the earlier version of UEFA Champions League) in 1997. He was the captain of Barcelona and a crowd favourite too. He was the lucky star for Barcelona and the crowds just adored him.

The love that the Barca supporters had for Figo disappeared in an instant when he signed with arch rivals Real Madridin 2000, for a then record fee of 56 million dollars. The move from Barca to Real broke the hearts of the Barca supporters, who declared him a traitor and compared him with Judas. Due to this transfer, Figo went from being the most adored and loved to the most hated at Nou Camp. Barcelona supporters had their revenge when Real played Barcelona at Nou Camp in 2002. The atmosphere was volatile and anti Figo. The unforgiving Barca supporters booed Figo’s every move and pelted stones, bottle caps, coins, fruit and even a pig’s head at him. That was not all. In 2004, after the final of the Euro match against Greece, a Barca supporter ran on the ground and threw a FC Barcelona flag at his face. But all these distractions did not affect Figo, who kept doing what he knew best. Playing the beautiful game and entertaining the people. With Real, he won the Spanish League in 2001 and 2003 and the UEFA champions league in 2002.

The troubled atmosphere at Real, with coaches being changed very often meant less time for Figo on the field and more time on the bench. The appointment of Luxemburgo as the coach of Real spelt trouble and it was time for Figo to move on and sign with some other club. In August 2005, he signed with the Serie A club, Inter Milan on a free transfer and a two year contract. At present, he is shining for his new club along with Adriano.

With over 100 caps for Portugal, he is considered as the best football player after the great Euseibo. In 2004, Figo took a “break” from international football. That didn’t mean he retired from international football. He returned in 2005, in the match against Slovakia.

The Skill :

--------------

Brilliant. The word to describe Luis Figo’s football skills. And the words are not enough. One has to watch him play to appreciate his talent. A skillful winger, Figo is deadly from both the flanks. He has got amazing speed and can score from the most difficult of angles with precision. He is one of the most skillful dribblers in the game, and to get the ball away from him, the rival players have to bring him down. He is a great team man, who enjoys creating openings and passes as much as he enjoys scoring by himself. Plus he also sends the curling free kicks screaming past the goalie very often. Figo is a very versatile player in World Football.

Other things :

------------

Football is his bread and butter. But off the pitch, Figo is a very different man. A devoted family man, he loves to spend time with his family and close friends. He is the co- owner of the Portuguese A1 team, along with Carlos Queiroz (Man U assistant coach).

Silverware :

-----------

Figo is considered as one of the talented players who have never won a World Cup. He did win the Under 20 World Cup, but the REAL THING is not on his trophy shelf.

Apart from winning the League championship with Sporting,Barca, Real and Inter and the Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Champions League with Barca and Real respectively, Figo has a long list of awards to his credit. He was the European Footballer of the Yearin 2000 and the FIFA World Player of the Yearin 2001.

Stats :

-------

Name : Luis Filipe Madeira Caeiro

Nickname : Figo

Birth Date : November 4th 1972 (….. and that makes him a SCORPIO)

Nationality : Portugal

Jersey Number : 7 (for Portugal)

Position : Winger / Midfielder.

Clubs : Inter (2005 - )

Real Madrid (2000 – 2005)

FC Barcelona (1995 – 2000)

Sporting Lisbon (1989 – 1995)

-- Thank You for your patience --