Luis Figo costs Barcelona lucrative new sponsorship

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FT Desk

Barcelona have been searching for a new financial sponsor due to the expiration of their deal with CaixaBank.

Their search led them to look into a potential partnership with Revolut, who reportedly made offers to the club to become an official sponsor.

Mundo Deportivo reports that a proposal was made by Revolut but Barcelona turned it down not due to financial reasons, but because of Luis Figo.

According to Catalunya Ràdio’s “Barça Reservat” show, Barca considered taking Revolut up on their proposal but ultimately decided against it due to the sentiment that surrounds their former midfielder, who famously jumped ship to arch rivals Real Madrid in 2000.

Figo is an ambassador for Revolut and even made a reference to his controversial transfer to Real Madrid in one particular advertisement.

Since this year, Revolut have been an official sponsor of Manchester City, with its logo appearing on the back of the men’s and women’s kits, while Italian club Como features the company as their main front-of-kit sponsor.

It is now likely that Barca will renew their deal with CaixaBank..

Figo to Real Madrid

One of the defining moments of Florentino Perez’s first spell as President of Real Madrid came in 2000, when he pulled off a stunning deal to bring Figo to the Santiago Bernabeu from Barcelona.

Figo became the first of Perez’s famous “Galacticos” — a statement signing that immediately established the ambition of his new project. For Barcelona supporters, however, seeing one of their most admired players cross over to their fiercest rivals was an enormous betrayal.

His first appearance at Camp Nou in a Real Madrid shirt came in October 2000, and the reception was hostile from the moment he stepped onto the pitch. Every touch was met with a wall of noise from the Barcelona supporters, eventually becoming so intense that Figo covered his ears with his fingers.

The stands were filled with banners branding him a “Traitor”, “Judas”, “Scum” and “Mercenary”, while objects were also thrown onto the pitch in his direction.

Figo had regularly taken corners for Real Madrid, but on this occasion he stayed away from set-pieces, ensuring he would not have to stand close to the Barcelona supporters.

His Madrid team-mate Ivan Campo later recalled just how extraordinary the atmosphere had been:

“That night when Figo first went back was incredible. I’ve never heard anything like it. Luís didn't deserve that. He'd given his all for Barcelona. It was built up before: 'a traitor’s coming,' the media said. No, Luís Figo is coming, one of the greats for you. That night hurt him, you could see. His head was bowed and he was thinking: 'bloody hell, I was here last season...' But my lasting emotion was admiration: you’ve got balls.”

There was another twist just weeks later. In November 2000, Figo was crowned European Footballer of the Year and awarded the Ballon d’Or, with his performances for Barcelona during the previous season playing a major part in his victory.

Figo, to his credit, focused on his football after things settled down, though he did once have a pig's head thrown at him from the Barcelona crowd!