There are names that never fade from collective memory, wounds that do not heal, even a quarter of a century later. That of Luis Figo belongs to this category. The former Portuguese Ballon d'Or, a symbol of a betrayal that FC Barcelona supporters have never forgiven, will be back this Tuesday evening in Montjuïc on the occasion of the Champions League shock between Barça and Paris Saint-Germain. A presence as unexpected as sulfurous, which immediately awakens a painful past.
Figo back in Barcelona, 25 years after betrayal
Figo will be in the stands as UEFA ambassador, a function he now occupies in large European evenings. For many, this simple protocol role is nevertheless perceived as a provocation. How can we forget that in July 2000, the Portuguese had left Barcelona to join the sworn enemy, Real Madrid, against 60 million euros – a transfer that had traumatized a whole people? Former President Joan Gaspart still sums up the state of mind of socios today: “Figo is the only enemy that Barcelona has. »»
Before this rupture, Figo embodied the soul of Barça. Vice-captain behind Pep Guardiola, he had conquered Camp Nou by his talent and his love displayed from the jersey. It was the same player who had launched, from the Generalitat balcony: “White, cry. »» Less than two years later, he put on the Real's white tunic. His first return to Camp Nou in October 2000 had turned to the nightmare: deafening whistles, rain of objects and even a pig's head thrown on the lawn in 2002, symbol of a visceral hatred which has become legendary.
An always vivid resentment in Catalonia
Since then, the years have passed, but not resentment. Last May again, Catalan supporters insulted it publicly during an official dinner, the dealing of “traitor”. Its simple presence this evening arouses the fear of an electric atmosphere. In a stadium where we do not forget anything, we wonder: will Figo be welcomed with indifference or will he become again, the space of an evening, the most hated man in Barcelona? One thing is certain: this return leaves no one indifferent.
This transfer has deeply marked modern football. He opened the Galácticos era in Real Madrid, reinforced the rivalry with Barça and drawn up an invisible wall between the two clubs. No major player has dared to cross this Rubicon again since. Now 52, Figo remains, despite a brilliant Madrid career, the living embodiment of a betrayal that the Catalans have never forgiven. His return to Montjuïc, even in costume, is not a simple detail: he recalls that certain wounds, in football, never close.
