“Imagine if Lionel Messi, at the peak of his powers, had left the club after winning Ballon d’Or” - Xavi on forward leaving Barcelona
Luis Figo leaving Barcelona was akin to imagining Lionel Messi leaving the club after winning the Ballon d'Or, according to former manager Xavi. The Spanish midfielder was a rising star at Camp Nou when the Portuguese sensation left the Catalans to join Real Madrid.
Figo joined Barcelona in 1995 and spent five seasons with the club. He won seven titles at Camp Nou, including two LaLiga trophies, registering 45 goals and 88 assists from 249 games.
However, the Portuguese stunned the Catalans by completing a move to their bitter rivals in the summer of 2000. To make matters worse, Figo won the Ballon d'Or later that year.
Recalling the incident, Xavi stated that the Portuguese's departure was a huge blow to the club.
“The departure of Luis Figo in 2000 was a huge blow. Imagine if Lionel Messi, at the peak of his powers, had left the club after winning the Ballon d’Or. Figo was our captain, our best player, but he joined our eternal rival,” said Xavi via Barca Universal.
Figo spent five seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, registering 58 goals and 94 assists from 245 games across competitions. He won another seven trophies with Los Blancos, including two league titles and the much-desired Champions League in 2001. Together with Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Roberto Carlo and others, Figo forged the fabled 'Galaticos' at Real Madrid.
How many Ballon d'Ors has Lionel Messi won with Barcelona?
Lionel Messi won six of his eight Ballon d'Ors during his time with Barcelona. The Argentinean first picked up the coveted award in 2009, going on to win four on the run.
To date, La Pulga remains the only player in the history of the awards to win it four consecutive times. He also won the top prize again in 2015, while his final win with the Catalans was in 2019.
Lionel Messi left the LaLiga giants in unceremonious circumstances in the summer of 2021. The club failed to hand him a new deal owing to their poor financial situation, forcing the player to leave as a free agent.
The Argentinean joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a Bosman move and won his seventh Ballon d'Or later that year. After two seasons with the Ligue 1 champions, La Pulga left the club in 2023, once again as a free agent, to join Inter Miami. Messi was handed his eighth award in the same year, and currently plies his trade with the Herons.