Luis Figo

Portugal has had a history of producing some of the biggest names in world football. But the one that stands out amongst all of them is Luis Figo.

Born in Lisbon on 4th November 1972, Figo started his early footballing career in Sporting CP. His first senior cap in 1991 had come at the back of Under-16 and Under 21 Championships with Portugal junior sides alongside players like Rui Costa and Joao Pinto which were termed as the “Golden Generation of Portuguese football.” His first team experience helped him grow in confidence and flair and by the age of 20 he was a regular starter at the club.
His skill, composure and panache made him sought after by the top clubs in Europe. But because of dispute between Italian giants Juventus and Parma, where Figo had signed contracts with both the clubs, a two year Italian transfer ban was imposed on him which stopped any transfer possibilities in Italy.

As luck would have it, the ban proved to be a blessing in disguise as it opened the gates for Figo to play outside Italy. And with legendary Dutch manager Johan Cruyff showing interest, Figo was now playing at Camp Nou where his career really took off. His time in Barca saw him winning the 1997 UEFA Cup, 2 La Liga titles, UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana and 2 Copa del rey titles. With his skill, tactical nous and flair football, he was graced with the captain’s armband which is a huge honour for a non-Spanish player.

After his 5 year contract with Barcelona expired and he was on the peak of his career, he made one of the most controversial decisions to join arch rivals Real Madrid for a record transfer fee of $46 million. He was now stuck in the middle of a fan battle between two the biggest rival clubs in the world. Barcelona fans hated him for the transfer and Madrid fans for the mere fact that he was a former Barca player. And with all the dirt from fans came injuries and all this ultimately led to the legend being written off as a setting sun.

But he bounced back stronger helping Real Madrid to bag 2 La Liga titles, 2 Supercopa de Espana, 1 UEFA Champions League title, 1 UEFA Super Cup and 1 Intercontinental Cup during his 5 year stint at Santiago Bernabeu.
Still in top form, he decided it was time to move on and joined Inter Milan, returning to play in Italy after a decade. With Mourinho taking charge of Inter in 2008, Figo had many Portuguese teammates to end his footballing career with. His stay at Inter saw the club winning 4 consecutive Italian Seria A titles, 1 Coppa Italia and 3 Supercoppa Italiana. He retired on May 31st 2009 at the San Siro football arena.

His 20 year long career saw him winning numerous prestigious awards and trophies which illustrate this man’s dominance over world football. He was graced with World player of the year in the year 2000, Portuguese player of the year for 6 consecutive years from 1995 to 2000, La Liga foreign player of the year in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and Portuguese Golden Ball in 1994. The Balloon d’Or, the highest individual football award in Europe was received by the great in 2000.
His graceful style of play, the ability to run past defenders even during the end of his career, the subtle touches out on the flanks, the brilliant runs form the mid field, the turns in the penalty box and the venomous strikes on goal defined his 20 year career. There hasn’t been a moment when he has been uncomfortable and out of place on the field. Having called Nou Camp, Santiago Bernabeu and San Siro his home, world football will never be the same now that he is gone.