A lie from Atlético de Madrid legend Paulo Futre to Florentino Pérez and the pre-contract signed by Luis Figo’s then representative, José Veiga, were two of the triggers that made it easier for the Portuguese footballer to leave Barcelona in the summer of 2000 and sign by Real Madrid, according to a documentary about the operation that revolutionized the world of football.
Directed by David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas and produced by Pitch Productions, “The Figo Case: The Signing of the Century” is a documentary film that tries to order the chronology of the signing and provide more details about the Portuguese’s decision to change Barça’s Barça jacket for the white of the eternal rival.
In the 104-minute piece that premiered this Thursday on the Netflix platform, some of the people who closely experienced the signing give their version. From the footballer, who made the final decision; going through the ideologue of the signing, Florentino Pérez, the former president of Barcelona Joan Gaspart, Pep Guardiola – Figo’s best friend in the Barça dressing room – and Jorge Valdano, among others.
But, as the documentary makes clear, it was two of Figo’s compatriots -Paulo Futre and José Veiga- who became the strategists of a transaction that turned Luis Figo into a ‘persona non grata’ for the Camp Nou fans, which exploded against the Portuguese in his successive visits to the stadium with the white jersey.
Futre, a friend of Figo’s representative, was the first person contacted by Florentino Pérez, at the time a candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid, to show his interest in signing the Barcelona captain, who was negotiating the umpteenth improvement in his contract.
As the former Atlético player reveals in the documentary, he called Veiga in the presence of Florentino Pérez to explain Real Madrid’s interest in the Portuguese star. The representative, incredulous, hung up the phone. And Futre made it look like he was still talking to his friend.
“Those 30 or 40 seconds that I pretended to speak with Jose Veiga to think of something to say were the key to the whole operation,” defends Futre, who adds that it was then that he agreed with Florentino Pérez on a commission of “six million euros” that was he and his friend would share if the transfer was successful.
A seed that grew even more when Jose Veiga signed a pre-contract with the Real Madrid candidate. “I told Jose to talk to whoever he had to talk to,” recalls Figo, who denies that he signed the pre-agreement.
A version that the representative breaks down: «There was a pre-contract, yes. I sign it. Figo could not sign it (…) Luis Figo never saw that contract, Florentino never had a copy. There was only one version. Before signing it, I called Luis Figo and read the entire contract. I asked Luis: Can I sign it? And Luis told me that he could sign it».
But the Portuguese international, as the film recalls, lurched that same summer with statements to the Barcelona media showing his love for the Barça club. “This is and will be my shirt,” he declared from his vacation in Sardinia in an interview with Diario Sport shortly before his signing for Real Madrid became official.
It was then that the Veiga-Futre duo flew to the Italian island to convince the footballer. The reason: a penalty clause of 5,000 million pesetas (30 million euros) in the event that the operation did not come to fruition.
In the documentary, however, Florentino Pérez clarifies the validity of this contractual requirement: «It was a motivating clause, nothing more. Figo never signed (the pre-contract), so it is a contract that Veiga and I signed that could be considered as a declaration of intent».
In Sardinia, the transfer agents convinced Figo to get on a flight to travel to Lisbon, where Florentino Pérez convinced him to say yes to Real Madrid.
The soap opera, according to Gaspart’s account, took a final turn with a call from the Portuguese to the newly elected president of Barcelona asking for a bank guarantee of “500 million pesetas” to guarantee his continuity at Barcelona. Some facts that the protagonist denies in the documentary. “It’s a lie,” he specifies.
Finally, Figo signed the contract with Real Madrid, who a few days later would pay the 60 million termination clause to officially incorporate the footballer.
A decision that the former Barça club player does not regret. This is how he defends it in the documentary that delves into the ins and outs of a signing that meant a before and after in the football industry. EFE
