He was the matador, the heart of the team, its captain. He may not have been born in Catalonia, but fans deemed him one of their own. When Barcelona won the league and the Copa del Rey in , Figo had dyed his hair in Barcelona colors and, from the balcony of the historic Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya proclaimed in reference to rivals Real Madrid: "Whites weep.
Congratulate the champions. Figo celebrates winning the Super Cup with Barcelona in However, in the summer of rumors began to surface that a pre-contract agreement with Real Madrid presidential candidate Florentino Perez had been signed which would see Figo join the Madrid club if he won the election, though Barca fans and even his teammates did not believe it.
It seemed improbable that the star of Barcelona, a club whose slogan is 'more than a club' for its defense of the Catalan culture and language, would join Real Madrid -- the club of the capital and, during the dictatorship at least, one widely regarded as representing the Spanish establishment.
We rather thought it was a promise that will never happen," recalls Ballus. Under Lorenzo Sanz, the man who had been in charge since and was fighting for re-election, Real Madrid had ended its year wait for the European Cup, winning the competition twice in three years. Sanz might have been the favorite to win the election, but ultimately he could not compete with Perez's outrageous pledges. It has been widely reported that Perez had polled Real Madrid's members and asked them which player they most wanted if they elected him president.
Their answer? Perez also told the club's 80,plus members registered to vote in the election that he would pay their membership fees for the following year if he failed to sign Barcelona's star player.
Figo was Barca's captain and star player. Spanish daily Marca was the first to report a secret deal, a contract reportedly dated July 1 and signed by Figo's agent Jose Veiga.
When the media reported the deal, Figo denied a pre-contract agreement had been made. However, a day after claiming he would be "mad" to leave Barcelona, Figo admitted there was an offer from Perez "and that is why I want him to win the elections.
On July 16, , Perez won the election and Figo, aged 27 and at the peak of his powers, crossed a volatile divide, unveiled as a Real Madrid player for a then world-record fee on July 24, It seems their efforts fell on deaf ears. When Figo returned again to play in the Clasico at Camp Nou in November , the reception for him was uglier than two years earlier,.
He recalls the coach ride into the stadium before kick-off: "The police made a special passage for the bus as we entered the Camp Nou, 25 metres on each side. Still, fans threw glass bottles, stones, everything. They broke windowpanes, but the windows were double-glazed. We sheltered in the middle of the bus.
It was like a cartoon: 'Look another missile is coming! The game was a goalless, stultifying affair. Play had to be abandoned midway through the second half for 16 minutes because of the difficulty Figo had in taking corners. According to Salgado, one hooligan threw a knife at Figo as he went up to take a corner. As Figo went to take another corner, a fan threw a pig's head on the pitch.
But it was from a "cochinillo," a piglet, so it was smaller than the size of your hand. The year before he took office, the club failed to sell out the Bernabeu for 17 of its 18 home league games.
He immediately made sure to fill the seats in the stadium. Figo was the first player of the Perez Galactico project. The deal helps pay for their exorbitant transfer fees, which are typically paid to the selling club over a number of years.
His marketing strategy has been a business success. The club has topped the Deloitte Football Money League every year for the last decade. The thrill that another Galactico signing generates, for season-ticket holders and overseas fans watching on television, ensures the circus remains must-see viewing. They have studied it for the last 10 years. You need to buy players to create expectation in the brand.
Individually, his marquee signings have done well. Real Madrid won La Liga in Zidane has been immortalised in club folklore for his winning volley in the Champions League final. The Brazilian Ronaldo scored two goals every three games during his time at the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been a goalscoring machine during his six years at the club. James Rodriguez was scintillating last season. Even Beckham endeared himself to the Bernabeu because of his fighting qualities.
Only Kaka and Robinho have been noticeable failures at the club. However, after initial success under Vicente del Bosque, Real Madrid managers have struggled to make Galacticos the driving forces behind serial-winning teams. Madrid have won only three league titles under the watch of Perez since , a poor return. Modified 15 Apr News. What's the story? In case you did not know The heart of the matter The Portuguese's arrival at the Bernabeu spurred the rivalry between the two sides to a whole new level and now in his latest interview he has opened up on how the move did capitalize as he stated : "I had five marvelous years at Barcelona, on the personal and sporting side.
But during that time, in the summer of , the candidate who was going to win the elections was Gaspart and I did not trust him even in the slightest.
Things were getting more serious and we reached a point where my agent had already reached an agreement with one of the candidates Florentino Perez of Real Madrid. At Barcelona they told me, bring the money and you can go.
I did not know Florentino," "I was on holiday in Sardinia and Florentino won the elections. The winger played five seasons for Real Madrid and then signed for Inter Milan in , where he finished his career four years later. We have every game at our disposal. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
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