The Figo Affair: Infamous Barcelona to Real Madrid transfer to become a Netflix documentary
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 18 Aug 2022 11:29 BST
- 3 min read
Netflix are to screen a documentary titled ‘The Figo Affair’ (El Caso Fio), charting the infamous transfer of Luis Figo between Barcelona and Real Madrid in 2000.
Figo’s move across the Clasico divide was both controversial and surprising, with Real Madrid setting a new world record fee as they plundered the Portugal international winger away from their Camp Nou rivals.
It was achieved by meeting his €62 million release clause, rocking the football world and setting the tone for a new era of Glactico spending at the Bernabeu.
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Figo, meanwhile, was the subject of intense criticism from Barcelona supporters, which came to a head during El Clasico at Camp Nou the following October. He was branded ‘Judas’ and ‘scum’ by banners around the stadium and mercilessly jeered each time he took possession. All kinds of items were thrown at him during the match, although the famous incident when a pig’s head was aimed at him did not occur until 2002.
Netflix, meanwhile, will delve into the background of the move in ‘The Figo Affair’, in which they have spoken to the leading protagonists in the transfer. This includes Figo himself, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and Barcelona counterpart Joan Gaspart.
’The Figo Affair is unique’
The Figo Affair, which is a Spanish language documentary, has been created in collaboration with Pitch Productions and is directed by David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas, who teamed up for the Netflix documentary biopic Skin.
“After the success of SkinBen and I were delighted to partner with Netflix again on The Figo Affair,” Tryhorn said. “It’s increasingly hard to find sports documentaries that are saying something new, that aren’t simply biographies or histories of sporting successes, so we believe The Figo Affair is unique. Focussing on the transfer rather than Figo’s career, the film informs us about truth, greed, morality, and the inner workings of the world’s most popular sport.
Luís Figo, Florentino Pérez, José Veiga, Joan Gaspart, Paulo Futre… 22 años después, los protagonistas hablan por primera vez del traspaso más polémico de la historia del fútbol. El documental #ElCasoFigoElFichajeDelSiglo llega el 25 de agosto. pic.twitter.com/ibxR5yJflW
— Netflix España (@NetflixES) August 18, 2022
“We were delighted that all those involved in the deal were willing to participate in full. Everyone, from Florentino Perez to Pep Guardiola, was generous with their time but Luis Figo was particularly accommodating, desperate as he was to finally set the record straight after two decades of avoiding the question of his transfer.”
The Figo Affair will be available on Netflix Espana from 25 August.
