The Boixos Nois ( Catalan: [ˈboʃus ˈnɔjs] ; "Crazy Boys", from the Catalan word "Bojos" meaning crazy) is an ultras supporter group organised around the La Liga football club FC Barcelona , based in Catalonia . Founded in 1981. However, during the 1980s the group's political position shifted. For many years, the Boixos Nois enjoyed a close relationship with FC Barcelona until president Joan Laporta banned their presence at games in 2003.
70-604: They are notorious in Spain for their violent behaviour and frequent clashes with authorities, with some members being convicted for death threats, murder, illegal firearms possession, extortion and drug trafficking. "Boixos Nois" literally means "crazy boys" in English. It contains the incorrect spelling of the plural of the word crazy ("Boig" in singular, "Bojos" in plural) in Catalan, and "nois", which means boys. Founded in 1981,
140-468: A FIFA World Youth Championship in 1991 , the same year he made his senior debut against Luxembourg on 16 October 1991, in a friendly match that ended 1–1 when he was only 18 years old. His first goal equalised in a 2–1 friendly victory over Bulgaria in Paris on 11 November 1992. Figo scored three goals in eight qualifying games for UEFA Euro 1996 , as his country reached the continental tournament for
210-555: A winger for Sporting CP , Barcelona , Real Madrid , and Inter Milan . He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team , a one-time record, and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Figo won the 2000 Ballon d'Or , 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year , and in 2004 Pelé named him in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. Figo is one of
280-563: A banner at the Camp Nou South-end with the text "¡Gracias Liverpool!" (Thanks Liverpool!) and replaced the traditional Catalan flag, the Senyera , with a swastika . The former president Núñez reacted by relocating the group to the third tier of Camp Nou. The Boixos responded by adopting a slogan of no-violence inside the stadium, but insisted on maintaining freedom outside. The promises worked and they were subsequently moved back to
350-438: A creative player, he was also capable of contributing offensively with goals due to his powerful striking ability from distance, as well as his accuracy from free-kicks and penalties . In addition to his football ability, Figo was also highly regarded for his leadership throughout his career. Figo has appeared in commercials for the sportswear company Nike . In 1996, he starred in a Nike commercial titled "Good vs Evil" in
420-552: A documentary about Figo's transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid. On 28 January 2015, Figo announced his intention to run against incumbent Sepp Blatter for the position of FIFA president . His endorsers included José Mourinho and David Beckham . In his manifesto, Figo mentioned his support for expanding the World Cup to 48-team finals tournaments, and promised greater investment in grassroots football and national federations. Considered an outsider compared to Blatter and
490-408: A fixed period. This rule had prevented Figo from joining English club Manchester City , where he had been recommended by his former Sporting manager Malcolm Allison for a fee of around £1.2 million. It was with Barcelona that Figo's career really took off, winning the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup , starring alongside Ronaldo , followed by successive Primera División titles where he was part of
560-548: A formidable attack that included Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert . In total, Figo appeared 172 times in the league for Barcelona, scoring 30 goals. He was revered in Barcelona because his presence had given Catalonia a sense of external approval. In July 2000, Figo made a surprising and controversial €62 million move to Barcelona's bitter rivals Real Madrid . Real Madrid met the buyout clause in Figo's contract at Barcelona,
630-406: A gladiatorial game set in a Roman amphitheatre . Appearing alongside football players from around the world, including Ronaldo , Paolo Maldini , Ian Wright , Eric Cantona , Patrick Kluivert and Jorge Campos , they defend " the beautiful game " against a team of demonic warriors, before it culminates with Cantona striking the ball and destroying evil. In a global Nike advertising campaign in
700-712: A goal. On 18 February 2004, Figo earned his 100th cap in a 1–1 friendly draw with England at the Estádio Algarve , playing as captain despite regular skipper Fernando Couto being in the starting line-up. Later that year at the European Championship on home soil, he captained the side after Couto was dropped. He announced his retirement from international football following the Euro 2004 final upset-defeat by Greece due to an alleged rift between him and national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari , although this
770-615: A member of the "Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history ". Figo left Real Madrid to join the Italian club Inter Milan in the middle of 2005 on a free transfer after his contract with Madrid had expired. This meant that Figo would finally be able to play for a club in Italy , something he had the chance to do before his move to Barcelona, but was scuppered due to a dispute between the two clubs interested, Juventus and Parma. During
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#1732776343082840-470: A mix of supporters of anti-independence neo- fascists and of Catalan independence Boixos Nois featured prominently in racist violence. They have also had disputes with fellow Barcelona supporters group the Penya Almogàvers , who support Catalan independence , but are also, anti-fascist and non-violent with liberal , social democratic and democratic socialism ideologies; contrasting with
910-490: A new world record fee , and his arrival at Madrid signalled the beginning of Florentino Pérez 's Galáctico era of global stars signed by the club every year. Figo became the new focus of the Barcelona–Real Madrid rivalry, with Barcelona fans feeling betrayed by his transfer and turning against him. His move to Madrid was significant due to his status as a star player at Barcelona, reliable, and always committed to
980-475: A protest organisation, formed in part by Joan Laporta , L'Elephant Blau , the former president Núñez promoted the emergence of skinheads among the Boixos and gave them permission to roam freely around the stadium, using them for his own political gain. When Núñez resigned in 2000, his vice-president Gaspart took over as president. Gaspart publicly expressed his sympathies for Boixos Nois, claiming that he would join
1050-578: A sense of fear among the general public, mainly because of the supposed irrationality of the acts. Several acts were taken by the Spanish government to alleviate the issues regarding Boixos Nois and other support groups in the country. A Royal decree created the "Comisión Nacional Contra la Violencia en Espectáculos Deportivos" (National Commission against Violence at Sporting Events), with the task of investigating violence in Spanish football and imposing penalties on fans or clubs. Coming to no binding solution,
1120-471: A street footballer at Os Pastilhas , before joining the academy of Sporting CP at the age of 12. In his youth, Figo played futsal from which he learned a lot of skills that helped him later in his career. Figo started his career at Sporting CP, making his league debut on 1 April 1990 during the 1989–90 season as a substitute for Marlon Brandão in a 1–0 home win against Marítimo . On 7 December 1991, Figo scored his first goal against Torreense in
1190-493: A vote of no-confidence instigated by opponent platform "L'Elefant Blau", one of whose leaders, Joan Laporta , would become the club's president several years later. He hired first Bobby Robson and then Louis van Gaal as coaches. But the lack of titles in van Gaal's third year and his lack of understanding with the fans forced his dismissal, and that of Núñez himself, tired of being pressured. In 2000, he resigned after 22 years as club president. Despite his achievements, Núñez
1260-425: Is also Portugal's fourth-highest all-time goalscorer. At his physical peak, Figo was a quick, elegant, highly skillful player with close control, acceleration, and a dribbling ability that allowed him to frequently take on and beat defenders in one on one situations. He would often employ feints to beat opponents, such as stepovers . Although naturally right-footed, he was capable of using either foot. Figo
1330-653: Is also a board member of the Inter Campus charity project run by Inter Milan. In 2003, Figo established the Fundação Luís Figo (Luís Figo Foundation) in Portugal, a charity which is headquartered in Lisbon and supports children with special needs and children subjected to poverty . Along with his countryman, former Portugal national team manager and former youth team coach Carlos Queiroz , Figo
1400-542: Is fluent in five languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian and French. He has also congratulated his wife on her birthday on Instagram in Swedish, although he has never spoken the language in media appearances. Figo is an ambassador for the Stop TB Partnership in the fight against tuberculosis . He works closely with Inter Milan, serving as an ambassador for the club at functions across Europe. He
1470-400: Is money for anyone who wants to give Laporta a good hiding". Though formally banned from Camp Nou, the Boixos still attend matches where they now gather behind the northern goal. They have traditionally had a mixed social composition. In 2010, various members of the far-right Spanish ultranationalist Casuals FCB , the most violent faction of the group were arrested in seven Spanish cities with
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#17327763430821540-459: The 1991–92 season , equalising as Sporting won 2–1. He won his first senior international cap in 1991. Prior to that, he won the 1991 FIFA Under-20 World Championships and Under-16 European Championships with Portugal junior sides alongside Rui Costa and João Pinto . He was also a significant part of Portugal's " Golden Generation ". In his final season at Sporting he won the 1994–95 Portuguese Cup . In 1995, Figo looked poised to join one of
1610-408: The 2001 La Liga title, scoring 14 goals in all competitions. For his performances at Real, he was designated the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year . He would be joined at the club by Zinedine Zidane in the middle of 2001, and in the following season Madrid won the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League . He missed two fixtures against Barcelona through injury and suspension. Figo's second game back at
1680-529: The Núñez i Navarro construction company and the Núñez i Navarro Hotel chain. Núñez oversaw one of the club's most successful eras and has been Barça's most successful president in terms of winning trophies. During his presidency, the club's four professional teams amassed 176 trophies – 30 in football , 36 in basketball , 65 in handball and 45 in roller hockey . This included a remarkable quartet in 1999,
1750-545: The "Golden Generation", Figo managed to captain the team to their best World Cup performance since the Eusébio era in 1966 , as well as helping Portugal to their best-ever result in the UEFA European Championship until they won it in 2016 . He finished his international career with 127 caps and scoring 32 goals, and held the record until June 2016 for most appearances with the Portugal national team; he
1820-570: The "Hacienda Case", offenses of which he has always declared himself innocent. The ruling of the Provincial Court of Barcelona found proven that Nunez, father and son, bribed tax inspectors with almost one million euros to achieve stop declaring the treasury approximately 13.1 million between 1991 and 1999. He was also sentenced financial adviser of the Núñez, Salvador Sánchez Guiu, to six years of prison and 2 million euros of fine. The sentence
1890-483: The 11th grade of formal education. He finished secondary school (12th grade) in Portugal at the age of 38, in 2011, through the special New Opportunities ( Novas Oportunidades ) skills certification programme for adults, which was set up by his socialist acquaintance José Sócrates when Sócrates was Prime Minister of Portugal. He also studied business management through a nine-month course at IESE in Madrid. Figo
1960-418: The 77th minute, who handed him back the captain's armband to cheers from both Portuguese and German fans. Although Germany scored another goal shortly after Figo's entrance, he ended his final cap for his country on a high note by setting up Nuno Gomes to head in an 88th-minute consolation goal, thus passing his number 7 jersey down to his successor, Cristiano Ronaldo . Despite having no trophies to show for
2030-583: The Boixos Nois, including frequent shouts of "Fucking Jew". After Laporta won the election he banned the group from matches and withdrew their earlier privileges at the club. The Boixos reacted by painting death threats on the walls of his house and in February 2004 two Boixos attacked him as he left the house. Later that year, a Police phone tap in March revealed a security guard of Camp Nou saying that "there
2100-503: The Boixos is a penya (Catalan), a Catalan mix between a financial support group and a fan club; where financial, political and social support are mixed. The Boixos Nois penya started as a small group of no more than 50 young fans, who strongly identified with pro-independence Catalan nationalism and left-wing socialism. They repeatedly demanded the resignation of president Josep Núñez , who they saw as authoritarian, and openly defied his presidency through chants and banners on matches. In
2170-557: The Camp Nou, on 23 November 2002, produced one of the defining images of the Barcelona–Real Madrid rivalry. There was no sign of the hatred or the hurt subsiding, and every time he came within range of the Barcelona fans, beer cans, lighters, bottles and golf balls flew. Figo commented: "I was worried that some madman might lose his head." This time, Figo had decided that he would take corners, as well as throw-ins , and midway through
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2240-460: The Catalanized form of his name used by the Catalan press, Josep Lluís Núñez i Clemente , was president of Barcelona between 1978 and 2000. He was elected club president, despite having no previous connection with the club. His main objectives were to establish Barça as a world class sports club and to give the club financial stability. Núñez and his wife, Maria Lluïsa Navarro, once owned
2310-477: The Núñez and Navarro real estate group. Subsequently, the Tax Agency made new verification and investigation actions on the exercises included in the process and concluded that there was no type of fraud. Lu%C3%ADs Figo Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo OIH ( Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈiʃ ˈfiɣu] ; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as
2380-800: The agreement stated that if Perez became the president of the club, Figo would sign for them. If Figo refused to leave Barcelona, he would have to pay a penalty fee of 5 billion pesetas (around £22 million or $ 34 million). If Perez lost the election, Figo would keep 400 million pesetas (around £1.7 million) Figo had a successful career highlighted by several trophy wins, including the Portuguese Cup , four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups , three Spanish Super Cups , one UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup , two UEFA Super Cups , one Intercontinental Cup , four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup , and three Italian Super Cups . At international level, he scored 32 goals for Portugal, representing
2450-471: The ball the noise rose with insults and missiles flying such as oranges, bottles, cigarette lighters and mobile phones. The regular corner taker for Madrid, Figo did not take any corners at the Camp Nou to avoid being in proximity to the fans. Barcelona were victorious, winning 2–0, and Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez stated after the match, "The atmosphere got to us all." Madrid defender Iván Campo commented, "That night when Figo first went back
2520-492: The ball. The abuse peaked when the Boixos threw a cut-off pig's head next to Figo, while he was taking a corner. The match was suspended for 13 minutes by the referee, who took the players off the pitch because of fears for their safety. It ended in a 0–0 draw. When Joan Laporta won the presidential election in 2003 he ran against the Jewish front-runner Lluis Bassat after Bassat's campaign was subject to widespread harassment from
2590-406: The big clubs of Europe, but a dispute between Italian clubs Juventus and Parma , with Figo having signed contracts with both clubs, resulted in an Italian two-year transfer ban on him. Eventually, Figo made a move to Spanish giants Barcelona for a £2.25 million fee, being loaned back for the remainder of the season due to a rule prohibiting Portuguese players from signing for foreign clubs outside
2660-548: The cause as a team leader. One of his Barcelona teammates stated, "Our plan was simple: give the ball to Luís. He never, ever hid". Although now wearing the white shirt of Real Madrid, he won the Ballon d'Or award in November 2000, largely for what he did for Barcelona, where he became the best in the world. By the second or third corner I turned to Luís Figo and said: 'Forget it, mate. You're on your own'. I used to offer Luís
2730-495: The chance to take the short corner, drawing up close to him near the touchline, but not this time. Missiles were raining down from the stands: coins, a knife, a glass whiskey bottle. Johnnie Walker , I think. Or J&B . Best to keep away. Short corners? No thanks. —Real Madrid teammate Michel Salgado on the vitriol aimed at Figo from Barcelona fans at the Camp Nou , 23 November 2002. When Figo returned to Barcelona for
2800-617: The charge of stealing drugs from Moroccan and Colombian drug traffickers with the intent of reselling them. In 2014, members of Boixos Nois stabbed two PSG supporters and heated up the debate about eradicating Ultras in Spain that rose in December of that year. The main ideology in the group is far-right Spanish and Catalan ultranationalism , being against the independence of Catalonia but with members who support it. Josep Llu%C3%ADs N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez José Luis Núñez Clemente (7 September 1931 – 3 December 2018), often known by
2870-452: The club's centenary year, when the four teams were all crowned champions of Spain . Barcelona were also European football champions in 1992. During his presidency, Barcelona membership increased from 77,905 to 106,000, leading to the increase in the capacity of the Camp Nou stadium. The number of penyes (fan clubs) also increased from 96 based in Spain to over 1,300 based throughout
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2940-404: The commission decreed the "urgent necessity for clubs to give no direct or indirect support to groups which do not have associative status". Having little effect on the problem of fan behaviour at matches, the demand from UEFA in 1993 to install all-seater stadiums saw the Boixos' freedom reduced, as it obstructed the active involvement they regarded as essential to their activities. According to
3010-433: The few football players to have played for both Spanish rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. His controversial transfer in 2000 from Barcelona to Real Madrid set a world record fee of €62 million. Figo, who was widely regarded as the face of Barcelona along with Rivaldo at that time, had signed a conditional agreement with Florentino Pérez , who at the time was running to become the president of Real Madrid. In short,
3080-563: The first time in 12 years. In the final group game at the tournament, against Croatia at the City Ground in Nottingham , Figo opened a 3–0 victory with a fourth-minute strike; the result sent Portugal into the quarter-finals as group winners ahead of their opponents. Figo featured in all ten of Portugal's qualifiers for the next European Championship , scoring three times in the process. On 12 June 2000, in their opening game of
3150-469: The first time in a Real Madrid shirt on 21 October 2000, the noise at the Camp Nou was deafening. There were banners hung around the stadium with words like "Traitor", "Judas", "Scum", and "Mercenary". Figo was mercilessly taunted throughout, and when he came out of the tunnel and ran onto the field the jeers of almost 98,000 Barcelona fans escalated, with a visibly shocked Figo putting his fingers to his ears. When El Clásico started, each time Figo got
3220-403: The following years, the city of Barcelona experienced an eruption in skinheads , who identified with right-wing separatism. The skinheads joined the Boixos Nois and slowly moved their political ideology from social-liberalism to fascism , causing factions within the group. Inspired by British hooligans , the remaining Boixos Nois became violent, causing havoc leading to mass-scale arrests. By now
3290-498: The future on the club board. I never imagined that I was going to remain here for such a long time. What I will never forget is the love that I have received since my first day here from my teammates and president Massimo Moratti . I will never forget it; Inter has given me the chance to start a winning cycle with some extraordinary people." Figo was on the sidelines when Inter won the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League on 22 May 2010. The leader of Portugal 's "Golden Generation", Figo won
3360-642: The goals in a 3–0 friendly victory over Moldova at the Estádio de São Luís in Faro . With six goals in nine matches, Figo helped Portugal qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup ; on 2 June 2001, in the qualifier against the Republic of Ireland at Lansdowne Road , he served as captain for the first time on his 74th cap and scored the equaliser for a 1–1 draw. In their first World Cup since 1986 , Portugal suffered group stage elimination while Figo failed to score
3430-480: The group as soon as he resigned as chairman. The comment caused the Boixos Nois members to occasionally be referred to as 'the chairman's boys'. The same year saw the controversial transfer of the Barcelona vice-captain Luís Figo to arch-rivals Real Madrid . When Figo returned with Real Madrid to Camp Nou in November 2002 the Boixos responded to the perceived treachery by whistling and jeering whenever he went near
3500-511: The middle of 2008, Figo's compatriot José Mourinho joined Inter as manager. This has been said to please Figo, as he would have several Portuguese teammates during the remainder of his stay at Inter. On 16 May 2009, Figo announced his retirement from football, the same day Inter won the 2008–09 title , and re-confirmed this on 30 May; his final game was on 31 May against Atalanta at the San Siro . At Javier Zanetti 's insistence, Figo captained
3570-427: The nation at three European Championships and two World Cups , helping them reach the final but finish as runners-up at Euro 2004 , as well as reaching the semi-finals at the 2006 World Cup . The only child of António Caeiro Figo and Maria Joana Pestana Madeira who moved from Alentejo to Lisbon in the early 1970s, Figo grew up in the working-class district of Cova da Piedade , Almada . He began his career as
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#17327763430823640-487: The other two candidates – Michael van Praag and Prince Ali bin Hussein – Figo withdrew from the election campaign on 21 May, stating that he did not want to be given "absolute power". Figo is married to Swedish model Helen Svedin . They have three daughters – Daniela (born in 1999), Martina (born in 2002), and Stella (born in 2004). While at Sporting, before leaving Portugal to sign with Barcelona, Luís Figo reached
3710-533: The players rebellion known as the Hesperia Mutiny (named after the hotel where the players reunited), which ended with the dismissal of almost all the team (14 out of the 26 players and the coach). Afterward, he hired Johan Cruyff as coach, and the club saw the golden era of the Dream Team, which won the club's first European Cup in 1992. In 1989, he won the re-election against rival Sixte Cambra, and
3780-462: The position taken by Boixos Nois. The groups began to gain a sharp rise in membership and the ties between the club and Boixos began to grow. The club gave the group free tickets to matches, transportation facilities and storage room for their banners at the stadium, Camp Nou . In 1985 after the Heysel disaster , where 39 people died due to hooligan riots and a collapsing wall, the Boixos Nois raised
3850-547: The quarter-final. Figo did not take part in the shootout, having been substituted for Hélder Postiga . In the semi-final, Portugal was beaten by France courtesy of a penalty from his former club-mate and French captain Zinedine Zidane . This was Portugal's best finish in 40 years. The third-place playoff caused some controversy as Figo did not start; Pauleta captained the team in his place. However, Portugal fell behind 2–0 to hosts Germany and Figo replaced Pauleta in
3920-548: The run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, Figo starred in a " Secret Tournament " commercial (branded by Nike as "Scorpion KO") directed by Terry Gilliam , appearing alongside football players such as Thierry Henry , Ronaldinho , Francesco Totti , Roberto Carlos and Japanese star Hidetoshi Nakata , with former player Eric Cantona the tournament "referee". Figo features in EA Sports' FIFA video game series ; he
3990-413: The second half Madrid won a corner. Amid a shower of flying objects, it took Figo two minutes to take it. Another corner followed on the other side, and as Figo walked across, he slowed to pick up the missiles and as he prepared to take the corner he moved away some of the debris while giving an ironic thumbs-up and smiling. Every time he began his run-up to take the corner, another missile would land which
4060-692: The side for his last match. He received a standing ovation from the crowd as he was substituted by Davide Santon . The free-kick he scored in extra time against Roma during the Supercoppa Italiana was his most memorable moment in Italy. Figo said: "I am leaving football, not Inter." He was interviewed by the Inter Channel after his last game against Atalanta, and also said: "I hope to be able to help this club to become even greater also after my retirement. I will certainly work for Inter in
4130-399: The southern goal. Increasingly violent, the Boixos was the center of several controversies in 1991: On 22 August a member of the Boixos murdered Frederic Rouquier, a supporter of the rival team Espanyol , and was sentenced to 26 years in jail. The same year, an investigation began into the murder of Sonia Rescalvo Zafra on 6 October. The events, widely reported in the Spanish media, created
4200-540: The tournament in Eindhoven , he scored Portugal's first goal as they came from behind to beat England 3–2, again advancing as group winners to be eliminated in the semi-finals. He was rested by Humberto Coelho for the final group match against Germany in Rotterdam , breaking a chain of 32 consecutive international appearances. His only hat-trick for the national team came on 15 August 2001, when he netted all of
4270-677: The world. Núñez gave the club a solid economical base and increased the club's wealth. The club built the Mini Estadi in 1982, opened the Barcelona Museum in 1984, expanded the Palau Blaugrana to a capacity of 8,500, bought the land where Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper would be established, and opened the La Masia , a residence for young players. Núñez was re-elected twice without opposition, but in 1988 he had to face
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#17327763430824340-518: Was again re-elected without opposition in 1993. The next year, he started the Barcelona Foundation, to prevent the conversion of the club to a private-owned sporting society, per the new Spanish law. Disagreements with Cruyff forced the coach's dismissal, and since then Núñez had to face the open opposition led by the former coach. In 1997, he was reelected for the last time, winning against rival Ángel Fernández. Months later, he survived
4410-600: Was appealed to the Supreme Court, so they were not imprisoned and only the withdrawal of the passport and the obligation to appear before the court every 15 days were agreed. On 16 November 2014, José Luis Nuñez entered the prison of Quatre Camins in the municipality of La Roca del Vallés, Barcelona, after being reduced the sentence for the crime of bribery to two years and two months, a fine of 1.5 million euros and disqualification for public office for seven years. After serving his sentence, he rejoined his activity as head of
4480-786: Was briefly joint seat holder for A1 Team Portugal , in A1 Grand Prix , during the 2005–06 season . Luís Figo also operates businesses in the hotel, fashion, catering, mining and wine sectors. He is co-owner of an upscale bar in Vilamoura and an hotel in Carvoeiro , both located in the Algarve region of Portugal. In 2010, a year after leaving football playing, he attended the International Mining Fair in Dakar,
4550-506: Was denied. In June 2005, he reversed his decision and returned for the 2006 World Cup qualifying wins against Slovakia and Estonia under Scolari. Figo captained the squad during the 2006 World Cup, leading the team to the semi-finals. With three wins, Portugal finished top of their group and qualified for the knock-out rounds with Mexico . They advanced past the Netherlands in the last 16, and defeated England on penalties in
4620-444: Was incredible. I’ve never heard anything like it. Luís didn't deserve that. He'd given his all for Barcelona. It was built up before: 'a traitor’s coming,' the media said. No, Luís Figo is coming, one of the greats for you. That night hurt him, you could see. His head was bowed and he was thinking: 'bloody hell, I was here last season ...' But my lasting emotion was admiration: you’ve got balls." In his first season with Madrid, Figo won
4690-738: Was named in the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 14 . In 2015, the arcade game company Konami announced that Figo would feature in their football video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 as one of the new myClub Legends. In 2018, Figo was added as an icon to the Ultimate Team in FIFA 19 . He has also taken part in several Iranian television shows such as Navad TV during the 2018 World Cup draw, together with Hamid Estili and former Hamburg player Mehdi Mahdavikia. In August 2022, Netflix launched El Caso Figo ( The Figo Affair ),
4760-451: Was not always popular. His refusal to pay high wages gained him many critics and saw the departure of players like Diego Maradona , Ronaldo , Bernd Schuster , Hristo Stoichkov and Luís Figo . On 28 July 2011, Nuñez was sentenced to six years in prison, like his son José Luis Núñez Navarro, and to pay a fine of two million euros for the crime of bribery – and another 36,000 euros fine for documentary falsification due to his involvement in
4830-428: Was repeated over and over, until the referee Luis Medina Cantalejo suspended the game for almost 20 minutes. During the break in play, the defining image of the rivalry, a pig's head, was picked up on camera, which was in among the debris near the corner flag. Figo would spend five seasons at Madrid, with his final success being the 2003 La Liga title. In April 2013, Figo was named by the sports newspaper Marca as
4900-590: Was usually deployed as a winger in his early career, where he was capable of providing several assists , due to his ability to provide curling crosses to teammates from the right flank, or cut inside, drift onto the left, or link-up with midfielders, and create goalscoring opportunities. As he lost pace and mobility with age as his career advanced, he was deployed in a playmaking role as an attacking midfielder , in particular during his time with Inter, where he excelled with his vision, intelligence and varied passing ability. Although he primarily served as
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