France Football published an exclusive interview with former Ballon d’Or winner Luís Figo on March 5 local time, in which Figo spoke about his transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid.
Figo said: “I spent five wonderful years at Barcelona. My eldest daughter was born there, I won trophies there, I grew up and built my reputation there, and part of my Ballon d’Or is closely linked to my time at Barcelona.”
But Figo moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2000, becoming the first piece of the Galácticos project. Explaining his move to Barcelona’s bitter rivals, Figo said: “I left because I felt the Barcelona board did not truly recognize my value. I was angry and resentful at the time. I received an offer from Real Madrid, and those feelings snowballed until I decided to join Real Madrid.”
Zinedine Zidane arrived in 2001, Ronaldo in 2002, David Beckham in 2003 and Michael Owen in 2004. With Real Madrid, Figo won one UEFA Champions League title, two La Liga titles and many other honours. Figo said: “Playing for that team was unique. It was amazing to have the best players in the world in one squad, and we won everything. Everyone knew their role, we got on brilliantly, and we are still friends to this day.”