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Europe - Calderon: Madrid don't need Ronaldo to win
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ESPNsoccernet - Found Jul. 24, 2008 One of Barca's favourite sons, Luis Figo, caused such a stir when he moved to Madrid he was pelted with bottles, coins, bricks and even a pig... England - Give Ronaldo what he wants, says Tevez - ESPNsoccernet Real Madrid president Calderon insists they don't need Ronaldo for ... - Mail Online UK Carlos Tevez says United should let... - Sunday Times Let Ronaldo go, Tevez tells Reds - The Standard Explore All |
Mail Online UK |
Milan not chasing Nesta cover for new season
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FOXSports.com - Found Jul. 24, 2008 ... reviewed immediately when he turns 18 in August, identified veteran Luis Figo as the ultimate role model in seriousness.He said: 'Figo has won... |
Mancini is first major deal for Mourinho
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Yahoo! Asia - Found Jul. 15, 2008 Luis Figo, a rival to Mancini on the left flank, is still expected to sign a new one-year deal with Inter rather than retire. Mourinho makes Mancini first Inter signing - CNN Mourinho wraps up first major signing for Inter13:40 GMT - Reuters South Africa Inter Milan signs Brazilian Mancini from AS Roma - International Herald Tribune Mancini makes Inter move - Sky Sports Explore All |
CNN |
Portugal without true leader at Euro?
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FOXSports.com - Found Jun. 4, 2008 ... a true leader.In the team's first major competition since the retirement of star playmaker Luis Figo and veteran striker Pauleta, coach Luiz... |
Portugal FA steps up coach search
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FOXSports.com - Found Jun. 20, 2008 ... after failing to achieve significant results despite a team of stars that included David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Raul Gonzalez and Luis Figo. |
Scolari rant ignites Portugal squad
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FOXSports.com - Found Jun. 11, 2008 Missing are star playmaker Luis Figo and veteran striker Pauleta, who retired from the national team.The Portuguese are playing in the final... |
Euro 2008 day 4
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Vox Popoli - Found Jun. 11, 2008 Villa with Cristiano Ronaldo on the wing sounds a lot more lethal than putting Michael Owen with Luis Figo. 5. I wish every midfielder in... |
Luis Figo 'killed Inter Milan's unlucky black cat'
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Nothing To Do With Arbroath - Found May. 13, 2008 The Inter Milan footballer Luis Figo faced protests from fans after he was accused of deliberately running over a black cat at the club?s training |
Figo: Mourinho definitely has Inter job Inter Milan winger Luis Figo ...
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Northampton Chronicle and Echo - Found May. 31, 2008 Inter Milan winger Luis Figo claims his club have already told him Jose Mourinho will be in charge of the Italian giants next season. |
Football's hardest role and Claude Makelele
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The Monitor - Found Jul. 25, 2008 ... and routinely stand a higher chance winning individual awards as evidenced by stars like Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldinho - all former World... |
Luis Figo Biography
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Luis Figo
|
| Luís Figo | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo[1] | |
| Date of birth | November 4, 1972 | |
| Place of birth | Almada, Portugal | |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2] | |
| Playing position | Right Winger | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Internazionale | |
| Number | 7 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Os Pastilhas Sporting CP |
||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1989–1995 1995–2000 2000–2005 2005– |
Sporting CP FC Barcelona Real Madrid Internazionale |
137 (16) 172 (30) 165 (36) 83 (8) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1991–2006 | Portugal | 127 (32) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, (born 4 November 1972 in Almada, Portugal) is a professional Portuguese footballer. In his homeland Figo is considered by many second only to Eusébio as Portugal’s greatest player ever. He plays as a midfielder and winger, currently for Internazionale.
Figo was the 2000 European Footballer of the Year, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and was named amongst the FIFA 100. Known for his exceptional trickery and dribbling skills on either wing (though he predominantly plays on the right), Figo is one of the few footballers to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Contents |
Club career
Sporting CP
Figo started his career at Sporting Clube de Portugal. He won his first senior international cap in 1991. Prior to that, he won the Under-20 World Championships and Under-16 European Championships with Portugal junior sides, alongside Rui Costa, João Vieira Pinto and a significant part of his nation's so-called 'Golden Generation'.
FC Barcelona
In 1995, Figo looked poised to join one of the big clubs of Europe, but a dispute between Italian clubs Juventus F.C. and Parma, with Figo having signed contracts with both clubs, resulted in an Italian 2-year transfer ban on Figo, effectively stopping any moves to Italy. However, the situation was eventually resolved for Figo, with a move to Spanish club FC Barcelona, under coach Johan Cruijff, and within four years he became a fan-favourite, captain and symbol of the Spanish side.
It was with FC Barcelona from 1995 that his career really took off: Figo won a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996–97, successive Primera División titles and went on to appear 172 times for the Blaugrana, scoring 30 goals. Figo was able to garner many plaudits while at the Nou Camp, such as Sir Alex Ferguson, who it has been later claimed almost brought him to Manchester United before Euro 2000 in a swap deal with David Beckham.
Real Madrid
In 2000 came his controversial, world-record transfer to rivals Real Madrid, which only intensified the great animosity between the two clubs. The move caused outrage among Barcelona fans and many others baulked at the €65M or £38m fee. Yet Figo justified the investment by helping Madrid to the Primera División title and UEFA Champions League semi-finals as well as winning the FIFA World Footballer of the Year award. In 2001–02, he went one better, playing through injury against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final as Madrid prevailed 2-1. Figo also occupied a major role as Madrid won the 2003 Spanish title, scoring ten times. The success made up for the disappointment of a Champions League semi-final loss to Juventus, but the next season, despite Figo's nine league goals, Madrid finished fourth and lost in the Champions League last eight and Copa del Rey final. He went from being one of the most cherished players in Catalonia to being the most hated. There was a short-lived website, AntiFigo.com, devoted to insulting "Judas Figo".
On 21 October 2000 he returned to Camp Nou for the first time in a Real Madrid shirt. The decibels of the crowd's whistles against him surpassed those of an airplane taking off according to a study made by Televisió de Catalunya. In his second season with the merengues, he missed his team's visit to Camp Nou due to injury; but in 2002, Barcelona's ground was almost closed after objects (including a pig's head, whiskey bottles, etc.) were thrown at Figo, while chants calling him Pesetero (which can be roughly translated to money whore) echoed around the stadium; and finally, during the final match of Euro 2004 between Greece and Portugal, a Barça fan known as Jimmy Jump ran across the field and threw an FC Barcelona flag at Figo in an apparent act of defiance.
Despite the detractors and some critics' claims that he was a vastly 'overrated' player, Figo played out some of the best attacking football ever seen in both an individual and in his Real Madrid team. It was not hard to see why though, given that Figo was one of the linchpins at the heart of an ever increasing star studded squad that included Zinedine Zidane, Fernando Hierro, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Raúl González, and dubbed the 'Greatest Club in the World' first, and then, officially crowned as the 'Club of the Century' by FIFA in the year he joined. Alongside his equally illustrious team mates, Real Madrid with Figo at the core swept the titles for the next three years under coach Vicente Del Bosque.
He struck four goals in the Champions League group stage in 2004-05 but it was another mixed campaign for Madrid, coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo had a fall-out with Figo after he relegated the Portugal International to the bench for the second half of the 2004-05 Primera Liga season and David Beckham was moved to the right. It was widely believed that Figo would leave Los Merengues for first-team football elsewhere. During the off-season, he was linked with a move to the English Premiership with Liverpool or to Serie A's Inter Milan. Given permission to leave by Madrid, on 5 August 2005, Figo moved to Inter on a free transfer and a two-year deal worth £6 million.
Internazionale Milano
In his first season at Inter, Figo notched up 34 appearances as the club finished third in the league. However, Inter were later awarded the league title (scudetto) in the controversial match-fixing scandal (popularly known as 'Calciopoli') that saw Juventus stripped of the league title and relegated to the second division, while second-placed A.C. Milan were docked 30 points from the final standings. In the 2006-07 season Figo appeared 32 times and scored two goals as Inter won the Serie A title by a huge margin, achieving a European record of 17 consecutive match wins in a row.
In December 2006, Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad reported Figo would transfer to the club in January 2007[3]. Figo traveled to Saudi Arabia to sign a contract, but after talks with Inter Milan owner and President Massimo Moratti, Figo decided to remain at Inter and renewed his contract until the end of the 2007–08 season.[4] Thus, a statement was made on 3 January 2007 on the official Inter website declaring: "There are no negotiations for the transfer of Luís Figo to another club. The recent news of a possible transfer of the Portuguese midfielder is, therefore, completely groundless." (Inter.it) Despite this statement, it was announced on 5 January 2007 on the website of La Gazzetta dello Sport that Figo had signed a contract in Saudi Arabia, starting on 1 July 2007.[5]
On 29 May 2007, in a spectacular about-face, Figo broke off his deal with the Al-Ittihad club, saying that they hadn't fulfilled their obligations.[6]
On 10 June 2007 Figo renewed his contract with Inter until 30 June 2008 and looked towards taking a directorial role at the club once the contract expired.[7] But after interests from other parties Figo's attention has been diverted elsewhere. It has been reported that Figo could migrate to North America and play in the MLS in 2008. However, in recent statements made to the media, Figo expressed that his will is to remain with Inter Milan.[8]
International career
The leader of Portugal's 'Golden Generation', Figo won a FIFA World Youth Championship in 1991, the same year he made his senior debut against Luxembourg, at 16 October 1991, in a friendly match, that ended 1-1, when he was only 18 years old. He has performed at the highest level ever since, making appearances at Euro 96, Euro 2000, and the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup. He announced his retirement from international football following the UEFA EURO 2004 final defeat by Greece, having won 117 caps and scored 31 goals. However, in June 2005 he reversed his decision and returned for 2006 World Cup qualifying wins against Slovakia and Estonia.
Figo captained the squad during the 2006 World Cup, leading the team to the semi-finals, where they were beaten 1-0 by France. This was the furthest Portugal had reached in the tournament since 1966. A dubious penalty, scored by French captain Zinedine Zidane stood as the winning goal. At the end of the match, Zidane and Figo, formerly teammates on Real Madrid during the club's glory years, swapped shirts and embraced. The third place playoff caused some controversy as Figo did not start; Pauleta captained the team in his place. However, Portugal fell behind 0-2 to hosts Germany and Figo replaced Pauleta in the 77th minute, regaining his captaincy during the substitution. Although Germany scored another goal shortly after Figo's entrance, he ended his final cap for his country on a high note as he set up Nuno Gomes's goal in the 88th minute to help Portugal claw back a marker.
Personal life
Figo is married to Swedish model Helen Svedin. They met at a flamenco show and are now married with three daughters - Daniela (born in March 1999), Martina (born in April 2002), and Stella (born 9 December 2004). They are currently expecting their fourth child.
Along with his countryman, Portugal national team manager Carlos Queiroz, Figo was briefly joint seat holder for A1 Team Portugal, in A1 Grand Prix, during the 2005-06 season.
Career statistics
| Club Performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Portugal | League | Cup of Portugal | Europe | Total | ||||||
| 1989-90 | Sporting CP | Portuguese Liga | 3 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1990-91 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 1991-92 | 34 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 1992-93 | 32 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
| 1993-94 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 8 | ||
| 1994-95 | 34 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 10 | ||
| Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Total | ||||||
| 1995-96 | Barcelona | La Liga | 35 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 53 | 9 |
| 1996-97 | 36 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 53 | 7 | ||
| 1997-98 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 46 | 6 | ||
| 1998-99 | 34 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 50 | 9 | ||
| 1999-00 | 32 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 47 | 20 | ||
| 2000-01 | Real Madrid | La Liga | 34 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 56 | 19 |
| 2001-02 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 45 | 11 | ||
| 2002-03 | 33 | 10 | - | 15 | 2 | 48 | 12 | |||
| 2003-04 | 36 | 8 | - | 10 | 2 | 46 | 10 | |||
| 2004-05 | 33 | 3 | - | 10 | 4 | 43 | 7 | |||
| Italy | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Total | ||||||
| 2005-06 | Internazionale Milano | Serie A | 34 | 5 | - | 8 | 1 | 42 | 6 | |
| 2006-07 | 32 | 2 | - | 7 | 0 | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2007-08 | 17 | 1 | - | 3 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2008-09 | ||||||||||
| Total | Portugal | 137 | 16 | - | - | 137 | 16 | |||
| Spain | 337 | 66 | 57 | 17 | 103 | 27 | 497 | 110 | ||
| Italy | 83 | 8 | - | 18 | 1 | 101 | 9 | |||
| Career Total | 557 | 90 | 57 | 17 | 121 | 28 | 735 | 135 | ||
Honours
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Notes and references
- ^ "Inter Squad". Inter.it. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- ^ "Figo Stats". FootballDatabase.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-23.
- ^ "Figo's Saudi Arabia move fails", BBC Sport (2007-01-04). Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ "As Ronaldo rises, Figo can see sunset", International Herald Tribune (2007-01-02). Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ "Figo in Arabia, ma da luglio (Italian)", Gazzetta dello Sport (2007-01-05). Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
- ^ "Serie A - Figo breaks off Saudi deal", Eurosport (29 May 2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
- ^ "OFFICIAL: Figo stays with Inter", Football italia (10 June 2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-12.
- ^ Maisfutebol - Última Hora - Notícia
External links
- FootballDatabase provides Luís Figo's profile and stats
- Luís Figo's photo profile
- Portuguesefutebol.com Your source for Portuguese football in English.
- http://web.archive.org/web/20001217065100/
| Preceded by Rivaldo |
European Footballer of the Year 2000 |
Succeeded by Michael Owen |
| Preceded by Zinedine Zidane |
FIFA World Player of the Year 2001 |
Succeeded by Ronaldo |
| Preceded by Rivaldo |
World Soccer Awards 2000 |
Succeeded by Michael Owen |
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Luis Figo Videos and Clips
Description: A True Genius
Description: A video honoring the former Sporting, Barcelona and Madrid winger, and current Inter Milan player. One of the greatest players to come out of the lat...
Description: A tribute to Luis Figo. The pride of Portugal :D. The music is the end theme from the movie Gladiator ;). That is my first video ^^".
Description: Video Sobre Luis Figo
Description: Thats the Best of Luis Figo...
Description: o melhor de figo
Description: This film is about Luis Figo Joga Bonito
Description: movie about figo during his 2 years in inter milan









