History and Biography of Luis Figo

Luis Figo Biography – Preview
With Eusebio being considered the best footballer Portugal ever came up with, it was a tough challenge for anyone to top his achievements and take the Mozambique Pearl off his throne.

Still, being an ambitious and talented Footballer, Figo managed to do so in his extraordinary career that had him playing at some of the most important European soccer clubs, such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid or Internazionale. For this reason, a Luis Figo biography could not have missed from my list.

Luis Figo Biography – Sporting CP
Portuguese soccer is well known for having some of the most prestigious and well-equipped youth training camps in the World and Sporting’s youth facilities are amongst them. It is here that Luiz Figo started out playing soccer, being born in Lisbon himself.

He grew up in a team that would later be a large part of the “Golden Generation” of Portuguese soccer, with other important teammates such as Rui Costa. Although growing up in such a professional and competitive environment, the pressure didn’t slow down the footballer, Figo shining out whenever he played and eventually winning his first senior game at Sporting in 1989 (age 17).

Although not a first squad constant (as would be expected from a 17 year old footballer), Figo managed to win his place in the team the following years and started showing more and more of his brilliance with each passing year.

Already having spent 6 seasons at Sporting, a move to a bigger club was inevitable and it was Juventus and AC Parma who made the first move, both teams offering him a contract.

Still young and being ill consulted, Luiz Figo signed for both clubs at the same time, triggering a scandal that resulted in a 2 year ban for him to transfer in the Italian Serie A. I think this was for the best, as Spanish giants FC Barcelona immediately moved in and signed the young midfielder.

Luis Figo Biography – FC Barcelona
Almost any Luis Figo biography will point out that the time spent with FC Barcelona was the footballer’s best point in his career.

Although not winning as many trophies with Barcelona as he did with Real Madrid, it’s at the Catalan side that he had his blast, becoming a fan-favorite and one of the most dominant figures in the locker room, his charisma and leadership earning him a rightful Barcelona captain’s armband, a honor that is rarely given to a player that is not Spanish.

Having such a status at Barcelona, after 4 impressive seasons with the team, Luiz Figo’s unexpected move to arch-rivals Real Madrid in 2000 was an international shocker and so was his transfer fee, a world record at that point: 46 million dollars.

Luis Figo Biography – Real Madrid
In his first season at Real, Luis Figo was caught between a rock and a hard place.
His former Barcelona fans hated him for his move, booing and jeering him with every possible occasion and his new Real fans were circumspect that a player with such a long history with FC Barcelona will be able to play regularly for their team. Add that to a long list of injuries in the first seasons and you’ll know why many rushed to consider Figo as a “done footballer”.

After a difficult first season at Real however, Luiz Figo started a new wonderful stage of his career, winning the next three La Liga titles with his team and being an essential player in, then coach, Vicente Del Bosque’s squad.

He finally won the club’s supporters on him side, although the passionate Barcelona ones still didn’t forget him. During this period, he also had a lot of successful runs with his national side, alongside many Sporting CP youth team ex-colleagues, reaching the 2004 European Championship final (losing it to Greece) and a few years after that, reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2006. But by that time, he had already moved from an apparently falling Real Madrid side to Inter Milano.

Luis Figo Biography – Inter Milano
Inter being an equally reputable team as Real Madrid, but in a constant lack of form in the last decade, Figo managed to remain at the height of his game here, eventually leading Inter to two consecutive Serie A titles (although one was won after the Calciopoli scandal, which stripped Champions Juventus of their 2005-2006 title, giving it to second-place Inter instead).

Approaching the end of his career, Figo was linked to a move to Al-Ittihad, where he was supposed to receive one of the highest salaries in international football, however this transfer was cancelled due to Figo’s desire to play a few more years at the highest competition level for Inter. It is yet unknown if the Al-Ittihad contract was simply postponed or cancelled entirely.

History and Biography of Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho was born into a family of football addicts, living in a wooden house in the heart of a favela. His father, Joao da Silva Moreira who played for an amateur club made ends meet by by working as a car park attendant at Gremio Football Club. His brother Roberto was a great hope for the club but then his career was unfortunately ended by a terrible knee injury.

At the age of 8, tregedy struck as Ronaldinho’s father drowned in a swiming pool at a villa provided by Gremio for Roberto. Following in the footsteps of his brother Ronnie then joined the Gremio’s footballing school and wowed everyone there. He made it into the first team in 1997 and was being heralded as one of the best young hopes in Brazilan football. Meanwhile, he was already making the breakthrough with the national squad, and his six goals were fundamental in Brazil’s Copa America triumph in 1999.

In 2001, Ronaldinho moved on to PSG where he became a fan’s favourite with his tremendous flair and excting style of football – also contributing tremendous amounts of goals. However his employer’s still weren’t happy with his atitude and looked ot get rid of him. Of course, he continued to shine in the international arena. His finest hour came at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea, where he was a key member of the side that won Brazil’s record fifth world title – scoring in the quarter final and playing an integral role in midfield in the final.

Ronaldinho then moved to Barcelona – arguably the biggest club in the world – for what now seems a bargain at £21,000,000. When he arrived, he said that his desire was to bring as much success to the club as so many Brazilians had done before him, such as Evaristo, Ronaldo, Romario and Rivaldo. Having won the World Footballer of the Year title it seems he has now fulfilled that desire.