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Luis
Figo, is the winner of the last Golden Ball of the millennium, the most
prestigious European award that goes (theoretically) to the most outstanding
footballer of the season. Paradoxically, the award comes in the only
year that the top Portuguese player failed to meet any of his objectives.
Figo has been in the public eye mainly on account of his record transfer,
financially speaking, from Barcelona to Real Madrid, a fact which shook
and shocked the Iberian market. With a transfer fee of 140 billion lire
and over 10 billion lire per season, the agreement made Figo highly
unpopular in Catalonia. Now that the storm has abated, people have started
talking about what Figo can do on the pitch again. Yet, at Nou Camp
in October during his first match with his new club he was met with
an extraordinary reception of psychological violence: banners, chanting
and missiles hurled through the air every time Real Madrid’s new player
tried to take a corner. So much for those who say that football no longer
has team colours or identifies in any one player. For five years, Luis
Figo was Barcelona’s star player and during that time, he helped the
club with the blue and burgundy shirts win just about everything there
was to win. Figo’s scoring record has never been consistent but then
tactically speaking, his job has always been to help his team mates
to score. For further information, just ask Ronaldo and Rivaldo, the
two last winners of the Golden Ball, thanks to the Portuguese player’s
endless succession of assists. Italian clubs spotted Figo back in 1995.
After the arrival of Rui Costa, Paulo Sousa, Futre and Couto, Figo received
offers from Parma and Juventus simultaneously and Figo signs the two
initial contracts simultaneously. However, FIFA notices and he is banned
from entering Italy for five years. From the club that nurtured him
from the age of 12, namely Sporting Lisbon, Figo then moves to Barcelona,
where he wins all the Spanish trophies failing to win only a couple
of European cups. However, after much bitterness, playing for Portugal
at continental level, he comes close to the title in the previous edition,
stopped only by a questionable penalty kick in favour of the French
in the semi-final. But Barcelona undergoes a transformation for the
nth time. After a succession of trainers (Cruyff, Robson, Van Gaal),
the turning point comes with top level changes. The situation involves
Madrid, the clubs sworn archenemies. The plot thickens. Real Madrid’s
new management team wants to start with a bang and woo Barcelona’s talented
player insistently. It’s not clear if Luis does it for the money or
merely a change of scenery. The fact is that the contract with Real
Madrid is signed and Figo, the captain and star player of Barcelona,
moves to the Spanish capital. However, things didn’t go too well at
the beginning. With Figo, Real Madrid loses both the Spanish Cup and
the Intercontinental Cup against Boca Juniors. And then, in mid October,
the match that the whole of Spain has been waiting for: Real Madrid’s
visit to Nou Camp. The result for Figo and his new club is a crashing
defeat with no extenuating circumstances. As mentioned, every time the
“traitor” touches the ball he receives insults and howls of anger. Gradually
however, thanks also to the feats of the Portuguese player in the Champions
League, Madrid starts climbing back to the top. When Barcelona is defeated
from the top continental championship, the balance of misfortune starts
to tip the other way. For the champion from Lisbon, the prophecy he
himself made at the age of 17 comes true: “One day I’ll win the Golden
Ball”. Thanks also to the impulsiveness of his main rival, Zidane, who
loses his head (or rather bangs it incomprehensibly against his fellow
players) and thus sacrifices his extraordinary talent by breaking the
sacred rules of behaviour. In view of the fact that Figo’s successes
in the year 2000 were few and far between compared to his previous record
with Barcelona, it would appear that to be greatest, it is enough to
do the simplest things, without over-complicating your life.
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