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60-464: Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo OIH ( Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈiʃ ˈfiɣu] ; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as 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

120-468: 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

180-433: 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

240-546: 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

300-407: 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

360-546: 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,

420-404: 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

480-710: 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

540-614: 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

600-488: 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

660-438: A revamp was bound to happen. The success of the older competition meant it was carried over after the reorganization of Football competitions in 1938–39, albeit losing its top status: the (round-robin) league carried the name Campeonato (or, in its longform, "Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão"), and the old Campeonato de Portugal was renamed "Taça de Portugal" ( Portuguese Cup ) for the 1938–39 season. The Cup soon became

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720-467: 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

780-724: Is a five-tier order, whose titles are awarded for relevant services to Portugal and for services in the expansion of the Portuguese culture , its history and its values (with a particular focus on its maritime history). The number of members in each grade is restricted by its constitution, and titles are conferred by special decree by the Grand Master of the Order, i.e., the President of Portugal . The order includes several classes; in decreasing order of seniority, these are: There

840-418: 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

900-451: Is also a Silver Medal ( Medalha de Prata – MedPIH) and a Gold Medal ( Medalha de Ouro – MedOIH). The special distinction of Grand Collar can be awarded only to heads of state. Ribbons and medals are characterized by equal stripes of blue, white and black (either horizontal or vertical) and a ruby-enameled golden cross pattée . The stars of Grand Officer and Grand Cross bear the inscription " Talant de bien faire ". Membership to

960-647: 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

1020-537: 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

1080-458: 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

1140-506: 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 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

1200-405: 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

1260-519: The Champions moniker of this early period can be misleading, as the modern concept of "champion" applies to the league champion (i.e., for statistical purposes, the winners of this Campeonato de Portugal are no longer counted among Portuguese League champions). The short period of coexistence between two championships meant considerable confusion, and was pointed as a reason for lack of competitiveness in contemporary international matches - therefore,

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1320-624: The Estádio Nacional near Lisbon in Jamor every season since 1946, except in 1961 (in a rare occurrence, Estádio das Antas was chosen as a more convenient venue for both Leixões and FC Porto , despite being the home of the latter; an agreement was reached by both teams due to geographical proximity and capacity); in the three years following the Carnation Revolution ; in the 1982–83 season, due to FC Porto's pressure. In

1380-625: The Primeira Liga , a nationwide league -based competition, as the official domestic championship in 1938, led to the conversion of the Campeonato de Portugal into the main domestic cup competition, under its current designation. In fact, the trophy awarded to the Portuguese Cup winners is the same that was awarded to the Campeonato de Portugal winners, although titles in each competition are counted separately. The first winners of

1440-445: The "Campeonato de Portugal" ( Championship of Portugal ) took place in 1921–22, and this competition was played every season until 1937–38. The original format had all the clubs participating in regional leagues, with the regional winners progressing to knock-out rounds, and the ultimate victors named Champions of Portugal . This was the primary tournament in Portugal, until the creation of the round-robin competition in 1934-35 - in fact,

1500-545: 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

1560-477: 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

1620-607: The 2024–25 season. Organised by the Portuguese Football Federation since it was first held in 1938, the competition is open to professional and amateur clubs from the top-four league divisions . Matches are played from August–September to May–June, and the final is traditionally held at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras , near Lisbon. The winners qualify for the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (or

1680-417: 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

1740-554: 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

1800-644: The Order is conferred by the President, either on his own initiative, upon the recommendation of his Ministers or following nomination by the Council of the Order. Ta%C3%A7a de Portugal The Taça de Portugal ( Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtasɐ ðɨ puɾtuˈɣal] ; lit.   ' Cup of Portugal ' ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football . For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since

1860-509: The Taça de Portugal were Académica , who defeated Benfica 4–3 in the 1939 final . Benfica are the most successful team in the competition, with 26 trophies in 38 final appearances. Porto are the current holders, after beating Sporting CP 2–1 in the 2024 final to secure their 20th and third-consecutive title in the competition. The first incarnation of a Portuguese Cup began in 1912, as an invitational tournament organized by SC Império; it

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1920-468: 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

1980-406: 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

2040-638: The capital of Senegal, and it was then that he decided to open a company to dedicate himself to the mining business, Damash Assets, based in Almada , which has earned him annual profits. His wife is his partner in the company Damash Assets. Figo is the founder of Network90, a private members' networking site for the Professional Football Industry. Sporting CP Barcelona Real Madrid Inter Milan Portugal Individual Orders Order of Infante D. Henrique It

2100-545: 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

2160-494: 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

2220-404: The competition. As of the 2023–24 season, the cup is composed of 8 rounds (final included), with 1st level clubs joining at the 3rd round, the 2nd level clubs joining at the 2nd round and the 3rd and lower-level clubs competing from the beginning. All rounds are played in a single game, except for the semifinals, which are played over two legs (home and away). The final match has been played at

2280-561: 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

2340-432: 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, 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

2400-562: 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

2460-465: 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

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2520-497: 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

2580-640: 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

2640-511: 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

2700-427: 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

2760-484: 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

2820-546: 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

2880-546: 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

2940-574: The runners-up, in case the winners are also the league champions) and the UEFA Europa League (unless they already qualify for the UEFA Champions League through league placing). Before 1938, a similar competition was held since 1922 under the name Campeonato de Portugal (English: Championship of Portugal ), which determined the national champions from among the different regional championship winners. The establishment of

3000-411: 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

3060-613: The second-most important trophy in Portuguese football. The Cup is organised by the Portuguese Football Federation ( Federação Portuguesa de Futebol ) and is played by all teams in the Primeira Liga , Segunda Liga , Liga 3 and Campeonato de Portugal , by the 20 District Championship runners-up and by the 20 District Cup winners. Some extra teams from the District Championships might be invited in order to fill necessary spots. Reserve teams aren't allowed to enter

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3120-690: 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

3180-538: 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

3240-784: 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,

3300-504: 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

3360-443: 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

3420-540: Was named after the organizing club, as "Taça do Império" (not to be confused with a similarly named, but unrelated, Taça Império - the one-off trophy for the inaugural match at the National Stadium on 10 June 1944). Because of its closed format, with very few clubs taking part, the Portuguese Federation does not recognise it as a true "national cup"; it ended in 1918. The inaugural season of

3480-734: 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 ),

3540-426: 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

3600-579: 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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