Nothing quite boils the blood of a football fan like seeing your best player move to your biggest rivals.
Football history is full of such tales. Think Sol Campbell swapping Tottenham for Arsenal, Eric Cantona crossing the Pennines to join Manchester United from Leeds United or Andy Cole swapping Newcastle United for Old Trafford.
These all elicited bitter responses from spurned supporters, who would welcome their former heroes back to choruses of ‘Judas’ (and a lot worse), but none of these were as controversial as Luis Figo’s move from Barcelona to Real Madrid.
Jari Litmanen on Figo’s Barca-Real move
FourFourTwo ranked the 2000 deal at no.1 in a ranking of the most shocking transfers of all time, with the deal having more narrative strands than a season of The Wire.
First up, you have the bitter rivalry between the two sides, which is steeped in history and politics as much as it is by what happens on the pitch, meaning any move between the clubs is always heavily scrutinised.
In the summer of 2000, Figo had established himself as one of the best players on the planet. He had won two La Liga titles with Barca, and buoyed by an excellent showing at Euro 2000, he was on his way to winning the Ballon d’Or later that year.
When Madrid met the buyout clause in Figo’s contract and completed a £37million world record deal, it ushered in Florentino Perez’s Galactico era and made the Portuguese star the face of the newly reiginted rivalry between the two sides.
And it wasn’t just the fans who were upset. Finnish legend Jari Litmanen had joined the Catalan side in 1999 and admits it rocked the Barca squad to the core.
“It didn’t look good at all when I first saw him in a Real Madrid shirt,” Litmanen tells FourFourTwo. “Figo had played five years at Barcelona, he was the vice-captain, an idol and deeply connected to the club, the fans and the city.
“In the dressing room, he was a leader, loved and trusted as a player and a person. He rarely missed a game and he was always consistent – he never had a bad match. So it was sad to see him leave, especially to Real Madrid.
“We were all disappointed, but the real question was why he left. I believe if he’d been truly happy, he would have stayed longer. It’s just not normal for a Barcelona player to join Real Madrid.”
The reaction when Figo came back to the Camp Nou for the first time in October 2001 was even more hostile than he expected, as objects rained down onto the pitch every time he touched the ball and banners reading ‘Judas’ and ‘Scum’ were dotted around the stadium.
The ante was upped on his next visit, as the infamous pig's head was thrown at him from the stands, creating one of that era’s most iconic images.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
