Player Profile: Luis Figo

While Portugal has shown that it can play well without Figo, I think he brings a leadership and continuity to the team that no other player can provide. He is the generational link to the struggles of the past and the primary example for the younger players that hope to achieve the same level of recognition and success.

Posted from  United States

Fantastic as a player, as a profissional, as a man !

Who would be a good substitute to him at the right of the attack in somes cases during the WC ? Dificult answer.

Quaresma ? Boa Morte ? Another one ?

What do you think my friends ?

Posted from  Brazil

You already answered. Quaresma or Boa Morte probably. Maybe Hugo Viana if he get capped or Tiago.

Luis Paulo,

Do you prefer Hugo Viana or Rui Costa to substitute Deco ?

What about Joao Moutinho ? What do you think of him ?

Posted from  Brazil

I think Joao Moutinho is still very young. However sometimes you should take a risk with a young player in a WC like Brazil did with Ronaldo in 94. It will help to improve the player in the future.

However I dont think he will get a chance this year. Portugal has too many midfielders.

About Hugo Viana or Rui Costa i really don’t know. I’m still making up my mind. Rui Costa is not playing for Milan very often so I don’t know how he is doing right now. So, unless it’s sure that he is fit and well prepared for the World Cup I would choose Viana.

heh. is rui costa even coming back for the world cup?

Posted from  Singapore

He said he wants to, but it won’t be easy.

Yes, Figo is a class act on and off the field. Makes all of us proud to be Portuguese for all the right reasons.
He also (along with most of the golden generation) was able to make the transition from young talent to adult star. Which wasn’t always the case with our young talents in the past. Shine as 17 yr olds and disappear by 19.. But like I said that seems to have been righted.
His drive and desire to win (even now) is an inspiration to our younger generation (platinum I think? haha).
Look at his form at Inter? The game agains’t AC-Milan, he seemed to be the only one working and creating..
I hope we win or at least get to the final so Figo can take his place right beside Eusebio as an equal…

Posted from  Canada

yes! i totally agree!!!!! heh heh. forca figo, forca portugal!

Posted from  Singapore

My selection => the 23 players :

- Goalkeepers : Ricardo and Quim
- Defenders : Ricardo Carvalho, Fernando Meira, Nuno Valente, Miguel and Paulo Ferreira, Caneira, Ricardo Rocha, José Nunes
- Midfielders : Deco, Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Maniche, Petit and Rui Costa, Hugo Viana, Quaresma, Luis Boa Morte, Tiago
- Strikers : Pauleta and Postiga, Nuno Gomes

Posted from  Brazil

For me, roughly Figo’s age, somebody who saw and lived the golden generation phenomenon there in Portugal, Figo is an example. To all of us portuguese.

From ALL of the golden generation, he was the one with the best career choices, the most coherent “climb”, etc, and it makes me proud he’s one of us. Even when the world had given him a “death certificate”, he left Real without fuss (although keeping his mebership card), moved to Inter and his now teaching the world (and Mr Luxemburgo) a big lesson… Also the fact that he comes, like so many others, from Sporting Lisbon’s “youth school”, but that’s another story…

Figo wasn’t even the more flashy, or considered to be, the most important piece in the golden generation. At that time… Made a good career in Sporting, moved to Barcelona where he grew and learned a lot (the guy was SO skinny, ridiculous hair style and could NEVER protect from side tackles). The rest is history…

The others from that generation that stayed in Portugal, generically did well. Not more, though. I’m sure an international career would have placed them much higher. Maybe some would have become like Figo. We’ll never know. But keep in mind, now C Ronaldo went to Man Utd in a rather natural way, still very young. 10 years ago it wasn’t so easy, for a portuguese player. Here’s something we can also thank him, partially.

The ones who left… Two names distinguish immediatelly – Paulo Sousa and Rui Costa. The first, a top class defensive midfielder, with radio guided long passes, went and won the champions League no less than two times (Juventus and B Dortmund). Struggled with injuries throughout all his career, he quit and is also assistant coach for POR (or the kids, dunno). Rui Costa decided to go to a not so good team (Fiorentina), in a not so good league for “brilliance” or attack – Italy – as it’s a league where the defense is probably the hardest. But hey, in Florence people called him “The Prince”… he probably felt like a king there. If he would have gone to AC Milan, or any european giant 10 years before, the “world history” would have been different…

Figo, slowly but steady, made his path. A smart combination of ambition, hard work and growth. All this together placed him where he is: A Legend in Portuguese Football. We (portuguese) all have a lot to thank him.

I know… It’s a bit mellow, but hey… It’s my country…

Posted from  Netherlands

Pedro, how about Futre (not sure about the spelling)? Wasn’t he also one of the rare ones who was able to leave and make a name for himself?

Posted from  Canada

The spelling is correct. Another brilliant winger… It seems Portugal only produces brilliant wingers and average to good strikers…

Paulo Futre is still in Atletico Madrid, where he made his name abroad, with some type of administrative job. He was one of the first to go abroad. But he is prior to the golden generation.

Also ridiculous hair style, throughout his career…

Before Futre, also Rui Barros. Some sort of “atomic flee”. Went to Italy and made a name there. Typical type of player they like… Very small, resistant, increadibly fast, let him run and you’ll find the ball in the net, when it’s too late…

Posted from  Netherlands

Check out what I dug up…

http://www.askmen.com/men/sports/35b_luis_figo.html

Posted from  Netherlands

[...] Deco Petit Costinha Hugo Viana Maniche Tiago Figo Cristiano Ronaldo Boa Morte Simão Sabrosa [...]

Posted from  United States