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Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, born November 4, 1972 in Lisbon, Portugal, is a Portuguese international footballer, who plays as a midfielder and winger, currently for Inter Milan. Figo, a devout Catholic, was the 2000 European Footballer of the Year and 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, known for his exceptional trickery and dribbling skills at either wing (though he predominantly plays on the right). He was one of the very few footballers to have played for the Spanish rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Background
He won his first senior international cap in 1991; prior to that, he won the
Under-20 World Championships and Under-16 European Championships with Portugal
junior sides, a significant part of the nation's so called 'Golden Generation'
in football, alongside compatriot, Rui Costa. Figo moved to FC Barcelona from
Sporting Lisbon (a club which developed many other great Portuguese players)
in 1995, but not before a dispute with Juventus and Parma, having signed contracts
with both clubs. For this action he came under risk of a lengthy ban. The situation
was eventually resolved, and within four years he became a fan-favourite, captain
and symbol of the Catalan side.
Already a great winger at the beginning of his career, Figo eventually became one of the best players in the world and, in the eyes of many, the best winger of his generation. His dazzling dribbling and the amazing amount of assists (Figo states that he enjoys assisting as much as scoring) assured him success and fame all over the world. Figo is recognized for his versatility throughout the pitch.
In 2000 his transfer to Barcelona's arch-rival, Real Madrid, for a record-breaking 56 million dollars only intensified the great animosity between the two clubs. The move was very hurtful to Barcelona supporters especially after he spent the summer swearing he would't transfer to Madrid. He went from being one of the most cherished players in Catalonia to being one of the most hated ones. There was a short-lived website (antifigo.com [1]) devoted to insult "judas Figo", which shows how much the fans were hurt. He missed his highly anticipated first return to the Nou Camp due to injury; in 2002, Barcelona's ground was banned after objects were thrown at Figo, while massive chants calling him Pesetero (which can be roughly translated to mercenary) echoed in the stadium; and finally, during the final match of Euro 2004 between Greece and Portugal, a Barça fan known as Jimmy Jump ran across the field and threw a FC Barcelona flag at Figo in an apparent act of defiance.
Despite the niggling detractors and all the critics' cries that he was a vastly 'overrated' player, Figo played out some of the best attacking football ever seen in both an individual and even in his Real Madrid team. It was not hard to see why though, given that Figo was one of the linchpins at the heart of an ever increasing star studded squad that included Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Steve McManaman, Raul Gonzalez, and dubbed the 'Greatest Club in the World' first, and then, officially crowned as the 'Club of the Century' by FIFA in the year he joined. Alongside his equally illustrious team mates, Real Madrid with Figo at the core swept the titles for the next three years under coach Vicente Del Bosque.
On August 18, 2004, Figo announced that he would "take a break" from international football. In April 2005 he announced to be ready to return, as he was sidelined in Real Madrid, and the next month Luiz Felipe Scolari announced he would talk to him about his return. He agreed to return on 13 May and resumed his international career in the match between Portugal and Slovakia on June 4. This received mixed feelings from Portuguese fans: some see his return as fixing something that should not have happened, others are fearful of the "concessions" Scolari made to bring him back.
Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo had a falling-out with Figo after he relegated the Portugal international to the bench for the second half of the 2004-2005 Primera Liga season. It was widely believed that Figo would leave Los Merengues for first-team football elsewhere. During the off-season, he was linked with a move to the English Premiership with Liverpool or to Serie A's Inter Milan. On August 5, 2005, Figo moved to Inter on a free transfer and a two-year deal worth €7 million.
Luís Figo is nowadays one of the main Portuguese symbols and ambassadors. Many Portuguese travelling outside southern Europe get "Oh! Figo! Figo!" as a reply, when saying they are Portuguese.
He is married to Swedish model Helen Svedin. They have three daughters named Daniela, Martina and Stella.
Motor Racing
Along with his countryman, football manager Carlos Queiróz, Figo has bought
into the A1 Grand Prix Team Portugal race team, and will act as team boss.
Titles earned