“The Figo case”: why watch the documentary about the Portuguese transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid?

Although the effects of the pandemic seem to have slightly slowed down the magnitude of the millionaire signings linked to football at the club level, the figures that are handled today are much higher than those presented just two decades ago. Perhaps for this reason, see the photographs of that July 24, 2000 in which the Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo He posed (with a serious gesture) with the Real Madrid shirt after a payment of 10,270 million pesetas (today just over 60 million euros) to Barcelona seems to us to be another era, another world.

That was certainly another world. Or to put it in the words of the architect of the historic signing, Florentino Pérez (who today continues as president of the ‘white’ team): the beginning of another world. The then unimaginable amount of money, but above all those details surrounding the transaction (actually, a contract termination clause was paid) are part of “El caso Figo”, the new sports documentary released on Netflix.

Wonderful, skilful and fine-tuned like few others, Luis Figo rightly earned being remembered as one of the best footballers in the history of Portugal, a land that saw the birth of other great football exponents such as Eusebio, Rui Costa, Deco (originally born in Brazil), Paulo Futre and more recently Nani and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo, still in force at Manchester United.

The career of the man born in Lisbon in 1972 would start professionally in 1989 with the Sporting jersey of the Portuguese capital. Almost six years later, the midfielder would make the big leap to the powerful Barcelona of Spain. We are talking about an absolutely particular institution (its motto is ‘more than a club’), in which figures of all international levels have shone, such as Cruyff, Koeman, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola and, until recently, the Argentine Lionel Messi. .

“El Caso Figo” begins precisely with the images of the Portuguese soccer player toasting on a private jet that takes him to Catalonia. Since he got off that plane he would find a city that captivated him, with a fan base that supported him mainly because of his ability on the field of play. As Pep Guardiola (one of the great stars who speaks in this documentary) rightly says, Figo “an extraordinary footballer with bigger words”.

In the purely informative, it is worth saying that this audiovisual proposal is right because it reviews the best moments of Figo with the Barcelona shirt. Goal shouts, hugs with teammates and lots of trophies. But this is not just about the documentary directed and produced by Ben Nicholas and David Tryhorn. There is a breaking point that has to do with the moment in which the classic rival is present and begins to fly over the head of the crack.

An important point that cannot be left aside when commenting on this production is linked to the strong rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona. From the initial whistle, “El Caso Figo” is concerned with highlighting that it is not just another classic, but a ‘super classic’ in which more than clubs or cities, cultures and ways of viewing football are involved. The white team, obviously linked to the Spanish capital, to the Crown, versus the blaugrana, bearer of a series of historical particularities (it is told, for example, when under the rule of General Francisco Franco, the club’s fans spoke – the forbidden — Catalan in the stands of the Camp Nou). Perhaps for the youngest readers, Catalonia sounds a little more political to them, due to the independence desires of many of its politicians and citizens, represented in recent protests and demonstrations.

As we said, there was a moment when the love relationship between Barcelona and Luis Figo was shaken. The then young but equally ambitious Florentino Pérez seeks to win the presidency of Real Madrid by giving a real hit: signing the best player of the eternal rival. The Portuguese had a valid contract for several more years, so only the payment of a termination clause could make him undertake the move: 60 million euros (in current currency).

But, just as there were elections at Real Madrid, Barcelona was also looking to elect a new president. The candidate Joan Gaspart sought to take control of the blaugrana without imagining that at the end of his term he would be remembered (as he himself says) as one of the worst presidents in the club’s history. And, in the same line as the aforementioned, this documentary has the aforementioned in the foreground, fully giving his version of the story.

In the words of Gaspart, Figo was one of those players who was always looking to earn a little more money (“it was a monomania that he had from time to time asking for an extension”). Of course, due to his level of play, he deserved it, but no manager likes to change the terms of a contract every twelve months. This clearly goes against the version of the aforementioned footballer. In the words of the native of Lisbon, things began to change with Barcelona and he stopped feeling the recognition and appreciation that he needed. Not from the fans or from his teammates, but probably from the board of directors.

The counterpoint of both versions is intersected by the role of Florentino Pérez, an astute construction businessman who won hundreds of contracts for million-dollar projects around the world. The offer of 60 million euros was indeed incredible, but something else was missing: third parties. Thus, two characters make their appearance. Former Portuguese soccer player Paulo Futre and Figo’s agent, José Veiga. Contacted by the interested parties, the former decides to gamble and ask Pérez for a commission for the transfer. The still aspiring Real Madrid president agreed to pay a fraction of what was requested. Only the final word of the footballer was missing.

Among all that has already been described, there is an unwanted but not at all preponderant actor: in times without Facebook, Twitter or TikTok, the newspapers moved everything. Thus, the sports press got hooked on the rumors of the so-called ‘betrayal’ and began to tell the story in their own way. The newspaper Marca, clearly identified with Real Madrid, gave Florentino a voice and his desire to put together a luxury project with cracks like the Portuguese. In front, the Catalan Sport, did the same to stop the move. Note a particular detail here: as the elections for the Madrid board of directors approached, the newspapers bet everything on their (opposing) versions.

What would seem like a final blow – an interview with Sport a Figo carried out while on holiday in Sardinia – seemed to throw the plan of Pérez and those close to him to the ground: “On the 24th I will be at the Camp Nou”, said the midfielder. Here the tension level of the documentary rises to the extreme. Futre and Veiga (who even signed a pre-contract in the name of Figo) would try one last move: get the footballer out of his vacation and take him to Lisbon to talk. Then, the presence of Florentino in a night that became eternal. Finally, destiny.

With the support that money gives it through sponsorships, television rights, shirts, merchandising, international tours and fan subscriptions, Spanish football has been able to rank among the top worldwide. Of course, none of this hides a series of million-dollar losses, outstanding debts to be paid, and even ongoing judicial investigations. It is in this sense that the authorities have tried to activate a series of padlocks that stop possible disruptions.

When all this was perhaps less visible due to the lack of social networks and documentaries like this, a brand new president dared to break the market and hire a player for a stratospheric figure. That, however, would only be the beginning of an era called that of the Galacticos, with figures such as Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl and David Beckham. As a summary, “The Figo case” skilfully describes the extremely fast evolution of an industry like football, capable of paying more than 200 million euros today for someone who runs after a ball.

In the midst of all this, we have a 105-minute product in which nothing seems to be left out: Figo and the review of his great moments in both clubs, powerful football managers capable of anything to (arrive or) stay in office, the ambition of the characters around him, everything that it means to leave a great from Spain to go to the classic rival (with the social consequences of all this: bottled drinks, pints, hurtful phrases and the consequent risk to loved ones).

In short: football as a reflection of contemporary society.

THE FIGO/NETFLIX CASE

Synopsis: This documentary analyzes one of the most controversial contracts in football history and the fabulous player in the eye of the storm: Luís Figo.

Directors: Ben Nicholas and David Tryhorn.

Duration: 105 minutes.