Luis Figo Was Blocked From Joining Liverpool Because of Two Players

Former Barcelona and Real Madrid winger Luis Figo was once heavily linked with a move to Liverpool - but a switch was ‘blocked’ by two players.

2000 Ballon d’Or winner Figo, now 52, was one of the most gifted right-wingers of the late 90s to early 00s.

During his time in La Liga, the 52-year-old committed the ultimate sin by joining Real Madrid from rivals Barcelona – although no one expected what happened next.

Two years on, Figo returned to a ferocious reception at the Camp Nou. Several foreign objects were thrown towards the Portuguese during that particular ‘El Clásico’, including the head of a suckling pig.

At one point, then-Barca captain Carles Puyol appealed for calm from his side’s supporters by waving his arms.

But the Catalan supporters were not deterred and continued to hurl abuse at Figo, resulting in a 16-minute suspension in play.

The match ended 0-0, but will always be remembered as one of the wildest events in Spanish football history.

Luis Figo in action for Real Madrid against Barcelona in 2002 (Credit:Getty)

And it’s fair to say Figo hasn’t retained many friends from his time at Barca despite helping the side win two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup during his half-decade stay in Catalonia.

But one thing’s for sure, Figo would’ve walked into most teams around the world in his heyday, but he never graced arguably the most exciting league on the planet – the Premier League.

However, he once admitted that he was in talks with Liverpool back in 2005, but no such deal materialised.

“I would have liked to go [to Liverpool],” Figo admitted during an interview with The Guardian in 2022.

“We talked a lot. One week, they say, ‘No, wait, we can’t do it just now’ and then they sign a player. Then, ‘Wait a few more days, we need to sort this first’ and they sign another. I think: ‘Bloody hell, are you messing with me, or what?’ Inter appear, I go to Milan, meet [the club president Massimo] Moratti and take the decision. I loved Inter, it was exactly what I needed.”

Although Figo didn’t directly name the players who essentially ‘blocked’ his proposed move, the Reds signed two wingers, Boudewijn ‘Bolo’ Zenden from Middlesbrough and Mark Gonzalez from Albacete, in the summer of 2005.

Bolo Zenden in action for Liverpool (Credit:Getty)

Zenden went on to make 47 appearances for Liverpool, while Mark Gonzalez featured just 36 times.

Gonzalez, now 42, had work permit issues upon signing, which led to a loan spell at Real Sociedad during the 2005/06 season before returning to Merseyside in the summer of 2006. After leaving Liverpool in 2007, the Chile international played for six other clubs – notably Real Betis and CSKA Moscow.

As for Zenden, he helped the Reds reach the 2007 Champions League final, which they lost to AC Milan, before going on to play for Marseille and Sunderland.