Figo, 20 years later: the secrets behind his transfer, Gaspart, Zidane, Vinicius...

The signing of Luis Figo will always be remembered as a betrayal by the Portuguese to Barcelona. Two decades later, the Portuguese player looks back on that tense situation and on the duel at the Camp Nou that was a living hell for him.

"It's been so long... that means you get older. It is behind an atypical summer so it moved in terms of figures and a transfer that, even today, would be ridiculous, but 20 years ago it was a lot of money," admitted Figo in his talk with 'AS'.

"My signing was a change of direction in Spanish football, nothing like this has ever happened before. It could have been the start of a modern Madrid. It was a fantastic time, with so many good players together... and the titles show it, of course," he added.

The Portuguese revealed how his transfer was cooked up: "I was at the Euros and had a good season. There were elections in Madrid, and also in Barça. My agent called me to inform me that there was some club, like Lazio, interested in paying my clause, but that Madrid was also interested. I listened to him, but without paying much attention to him. And I transferred the offers to Barça's management, they didn't take me very seriously either".

Figo reiterated that he never regretted that decision, although it was "a very hard summer" for all the "pressure" he suffered around his figure after announcing his departure from Barcelona to the main rival.

He also revealed some more details: "I did not want to back out at the last moment, it happened quite the opposite. When there were elections in the Barça, Gaspart took advantage of the fact that a journalist of the 'Sport' was going to Sardinia to send me a letter signed in which he offered me the same thing that Madrid offered me to stay... and he said that if some compensation was needed Barça would assume it. But I didn't trust Gaspart and I never will. Why did I leave? When you work in a place and they don't value you, and you say so, it seems like stubbornness. But things get more serious and more serious until you make a decision. And that's what happened."

Today's Madrid
After his convulsed departure from Real Madrid during his time as a player, he doesn't know if he would accept a position today: "You can't say either yes or no. The past is there, I know how things are, but I would never come back for the sake of coming back...".

He was surprised to see Zidane as a coach, but today he knows about his ability to manage a team like Madrid, although he knows that he must also have a "strong hand" at certain times and "call attention" when it is demanded.

"Mbappé to Madrid? He is one of the best in the world, he has talent and room for improvement, but he is in a very strong team financially. I don't know if it will be possible to see him in white," he resigned.

Questioned about Vinicius' goalscoring abilities, he was clear: "With maturity, the relationship with the goal will improve, but it's also true that with that you're born, you don't learn. It will get better, but you can't ask a kid to have all his facets polished up when he's so young".

On Bale, he believes he can still contribute to Madrid, and he also left Raul's future on the bench in the air and pointed out to Klop's Liverpool as the team he enjoys most now.

"I really like Liverpool, Madrid also when they win if they are solid, Barça in their style... In general I prefer teams that play attack and produce a show," concluded Figo.