“Not everyone likes God, how is everyone going to like me?” – Luis Figo opens up on fear of being attacked by ‘madman’ after controversial transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid
Portugal legend Luis Figo has confessed that he was worried he would face physical assault after he swapped Barcelona for Real Madrid in 2000.
Figo was once considered the best footballer in the world, having won the Ballon d'Or in 2000. He played over 900 games, earned 127 caps for Portugal and scored more than 150 goals during his career.
The former winger is notably one of the few footballers to have played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. He plied his trade for Blaugrana for five years before joining Los Blancos in 2000.
There has perhaps been no transfer that was as controversial as Figo's move from Barcelona to Real Madrid. The €60 million deal changed the face of football, while also adding another facet to the rivalry between the two clubs.
Figo helped the Catalans win a total of eight trophies during his five-year stint at Camp Nou. However, he entered the fans' bad books as soon as he decided to jump ship and move to the Spanish capital.
The Portuguese icon was booed every time he played for Real Madrid against Barcelona. A pig's head was also famously thrown at him while he was taking a corner in one of those tense El Clasico matches.
On this day in 2002, Barcelona fans threw a pig's head at Luis Figo before he took his corner at the Camp Nou 😳
Figo left Barca for Real Madrid two years earlier. https://t.co/j3ZgOQ85dW
Looking back at his controversial transfer, Figo admitted that he feared he would be attacked by 'some madman' at the time. He also conceded that being in the spotlight during that period took its toll on him. He told The Guardian:
“These days, there’s more protection. It felt like I was doing a press conference every day. That takes its toll. We were starting to tour, a new idea, there was the rivalry, the pressure, the price."
"Not everyone likes God, how is everyone going to like me? My only concern was if something happened physically, some madman. But go and play football? Nah! In football there’s no reason to be scared.”
Figo played for Los Blancos against the Blaugrana on 10 occasions and was notably sent off once. He scored just one goal in those matches.
Real Madrid host Barcelona on Sunday
Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti's side will face the Cules in the first El Clasico of the season on Sunday, October 16. The two sides will lock horns at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Next up: El Clasico 🇪🇸 https://t.co/kDbyj9049e
Xavi and Co. currently sit atop the La Liga table with 22 points, having won seven and drawn one of their eight games so far. However, they are only ahead of the European champions on goal difference.