On Luis Figo’s departure from Real Madrid

When Luis Figo once returned to the Camp Nou, he was greeted with insults, bottles and, remarkably, a pig’s head. The Portuguese winger had been  braced for a hellish reception from the Barcelona crowd but even he must have been caught off guard by the vast assortment of objects.

Lest there was any chance of cooler heads prevailing, Barcelona’s president at the time, Joan Gaspart, grunted: “We’re not the villains here. I don’t like it when people come to our house and provoke us."

Figo’s crime? Taking his time on corners and, as most know, leaving Barcelona for Real Madrid. Anyone who even dispassionately follows Spanish football knows what Real and Barca mean to each other: the world, but not in the romantic sense.

Figo might have been on the receiving end of abuse that evening but he was at one time a Barcelona favourite. One of the major reasons for his popularity was his unwavering love for the shirt he wore, an affection exemplified by his public admission of "I could never play for Real Madrid", or his more passionate “Madrid bow before the champions.”
Hollow words now but ones which used to be proof to Barca fans that Figo was one of them.

So, not surprisingly, when he moved to Real in 2000, the pig’s head was inevitable and, the moralists would like to think, so was the harsh treatment he received in Madrid.

Figo was suddenly benched during the second half of last season, most notably against Barcelona and during the Champions League game with Juventus. Had his omission been because of injury or a personal spat with the coach, the 33-year-old would have had reason to hope for reprieve.

But the reasons were more sinister, part tactical, part political. The former element was quickly – and unconvincingly—accommodated by Real with the assertion “we will not play with wingers under Luxemburgo.” The latter, though never publicly revealed, reads like an open book.

Ask former Real manager Vicente Del Bosque why he was sacked in 2003 and he will be as lost as most. After winning two European cups and two domestic titles, Real president Florentino Perez concluded “he was not modern enough.” Funnily enough, the club have not won anything since Del Bosque’s departure.

Also in 2003, Fernando Hierro, a celebrated central defender (a rare breed at Real) of the club, could not secure a new contract because of his age and loss of speed. That he was left wondering about his future until the end of the season was a chilling reminder of Real’s ruthless politics.

Figo is now a victim, he whose coruscating runs on the flank and a heads down, pragmatic approach defined Real for the last few seasons. He, a fan favourite, warmly received by even the club’s ‘ultra’ thugs, was left out in the cold- until Inter recently secured his services.

It is the anti-climactic nature of Figo’s departure that is most worrisome. When he left, there was no public outpouring of sentiment by anyone related to Real; Figo had to fly back from Italy and hold a special press-conference to bid farewell to the fans, as he was not even granted a swansong game.

There are few answers as to why Real treat their own as such but perhaps time will best tell why Figo’s fall from grace was so sudden and dramatic. For now the player’s coyness has been the most revealing. When asked in a recent interview if he considered himself a victim of politics or a tactical decision, Figo diplomatically responded: “Well I will withhold my opinion there. This isn’t the moment to go public. That moment will arrive.”

Rest assured that ‘moment’ will have nothing to do with whether or not Real should play with wingers.

Hasan Saiyid
TotalSoccer.ca writer/editor