Luis Figo snubbed Zinedine Zidane when naming player who should've won Ballon d'Or instead of him in 2000
Luis Figo has already revealed the player who he feels should’ve won the 2000 Ballon d’Or – and it’s not Zinedine Zidane.
Figo, 52, represented Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter during a trophy-laden career spanning 30 years.
The 52-year-old’s peak was generally around the turn of the century, which coincided with his hugely controversial move from Barca to Madrid in July 2000.
When he returned to Camp Nou in the white of Madrid in October of that year, he was greeted with banners emblazoned with words such as traitor, Judas and scum.
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However, his performances in the 1999/2000 campaign earned him a Ballon d’Or in 2000, with the Portugal international registering 14 goals and 25 assists in 52 appearances.
Real Madrid icon Zidane came second in the 2000 Ballon d’Or rankings, while the rest of the top five was made up of Andriy Shevchenko, Thierry Henry and Alessandro Nesta.
And despite, no doubt, being pleased at being crowned the best footballer in the world back in 2000, Figo has since explained how he feels another player deserved the award instead of him.
In 2016, the Portuguese wished Roma icon Francesco Totti a happy birthday and, in a video, said: “Sorry for stealing the Ballon d’Or in 2000 – you deserved it.”
Of course, one-club man Totti, now 48, finished 14th in the voting before coming fifth in 2001, following Roma’s 2000/01 Scudetto-winning campaign.
The Italian spent his whole career at Roma, registering 307 goals and 205 assists in 785 appearances for the Giallorossi before retiring in 2017.
The forward won two Coppa Italias and one Serie A during his career, as well as forming part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning side.
Earlier this year, Totti was asked about missing out on the Ballon d’Or during an interview with ‘Viva el Futbol Official’.
Totti stressed: "I don't need the Ballon d’Or. I won everything with Roma in 25 years, that's my victory. I don't regret anything."
But Totti’s talent is still widely recognised by some of the greats of the game.
Speaking to CBC in 2013, Henry said: "When you think about Roma, you think about Francesco Totti.
"I have maximum respect for him to stay with the same team throughout his career, the team he supported as a boy. We could be here and talk about Francesco Totti all day."
As quoted by ESPN in 2017, Diego Maradona once described Totti as “the best player” he ever witnessed.
Topics: Luis Figo, Francesco Totti, Ballon d'Or, Football, Real Madrid, AS Roma, Zinedine Zidane
Luke Davies