Top 7 Luis Figo Anecdotes

Luis Figo, a Portuguese football legend and Ballon d’Or 2000 winner, wasn’t just the best right midfielder of his era. From his wife being admired by Ronaldo Nazário to the pig’s head thrown at him during a match, you’re about to learn everything about the most hated player in Barça’s history.

7 Anecdotes about Luis Figo

1️⃣ A crowd favorite among Catalan fans, FIGO became Barça’s greatest traitor when he left for their Madrid rivals. His daughters even received death threats. When he returned to Camp Nou, he was greeted with hateful banners and a pig’s head thrown onto the pitch—nothing less!

2️⃣ Just a few weeks after his transfer, he received the Ballon d’Or wearing Real’s colors even though he had played the entire season with Barça. Another betrayal that ended Madrid’s 41-year wait for a Ballon d’Or!

3️⃣ This transfer was the most expensive in football at the time. He became the very first Galáctico (€60 million), but that’s not all… In reality, he never wanted to leave FC Barcelona. It was the agreement between José Vega, his agent, and president Florentino Pérez that forced him to sign. A financial ultimatum meant FIGO either had to pay €35 million or move to the capital.

4️⃣ It wasn’t the first time Luís had problems between rival clubs. When he was young, FIGO wore Sporting’s green-and-white jersey even though his father was a huge Benfica fan.

5️⃣ One day, Florentino Pérez told R9 that he should take inspiration from FIGO’s lifestyle and spend more time at home. Ronaldo replied: “If I had a wife like FIGO’s, I’d stay home more often too!” Apparently, it wasn’t just his right foot that made people jealous.

6️⃣ He is the 4th most-capped player in Portuguese national team history and the 4th top scorer for Portugal despite being a winger—just behind players like Eusébio, CR7 and Pauleta!

7️⃣ One of his peculiarities is that he seemed to look younger at the end of his career than at the beginning. He could even have been featured on our FOOTBALL HAIRCUT T-shirt.

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