In the summer of 2005, Real Madrid Legend and Ballond d’or winner Luis Figo disclosed how close he was to joining Liverpool.
After the Reds’ victory in the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2000, the 2000 Ballon d’Or winner, whose contract with Real Madrid was about to expire, held negotiations with the team.
Although he acknowledged that the move had been near, the 32-year-old Portuguese blames Liverpool for the fact that the deal was never finalized.
“Yes, it was a possibility at that time,” Figo told GOAL. “It was close, I was negotiating with Rafa (Benitez), but in the end it didn’t happen for different reasons.
“Liverpool at the time were struggling and not making a decision on whether to sign me, so I decided not to go there.
“I don’t know (what they were waiting for), but every week they were like, ‘We’re waiting to do this,’ and then they sign one player. ‘We’re waiting,’ and then they sign another.
“So I said, ‘Come on, this cannot happen, I cannot wait too long.’”
In July 2005, Bolo Zenden, Pepe Reina, Momo Sissoko, and Peter Crouch were signed by Liverpool, while Figo joined Internazionale at the beginning of August.
In the end, the Portuguese player had no regrets about switching to the San Siro instead of holding out for the Reds, as he won four Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia, finishing with 11 goals and 36 assists in 140 games before retiring in 2009.
He said, “I made the decision to follow what was more certain and safe at that particular time.” It came about following my encounter with Massimo Moratti, the owner of Inter at the time.
Figo moved to Madrid from fierce rivals Barcelona in one of the most dramatic and well-publicized transactions in football history earlier in his career.
“Playing for Inter was, in my opinion, the ideal choice. I owe a debt of gratitude to my supporters for their love and support throughout a pivotal time in my career. There, I felt incredibly loved and cared for. They were four incredible years in my opinion.
