Florentino is a great seducer of men

Posted Friday, February 26, 2021 by Marca.com

Luis Figo's arrival at Real Madrid was perhaps the most shocking footballing development of the millennium thus far, yet chapter one of the Los Blancos documentary has revealed the details of just how the former Barcelona icon ended up with their fiercest rivals, and just what role Florentino Perez, the 'great seducer of men' had to play.

Real Madrid had moved into a new era under Perez, the Galactico era, although it was a nickname that the players hated, even though it was popular around the world.

One such player would be Figo, who had been one of Los Blancos' mortal enemies in recent years due to his affiliation and strong performances for Barcelona.

It's difficult to perhaps explain the situation to younger readers, but it would be akin to Real Madrid having completed the signing of Neymar from Barcelona instead of PSG.

Perez was the architect of the move which took advantage of Figo's contractual situation, and Jorge Valdano credits the president's charm in the documentary.

"Florentino is a great seducer of men," Valdano admitted.

Barcelona president at the time, Joan Gaspart, had different feelings.

"It was a treacherous betrayal done under the cover of nightfall," Gaspart claimed.

The documentary continues to show the fallout from the signing, which culminated in the Clasico between the two clubs at the Camp Nou the next season.

Barcelona supporters were livid and Figo was the subject of abuse for the entirety of the fixture, even having a pig's head thrown at him when he went to take a corner.

Perez, himself, was a gambler and he had actually promised to pay the membership fees of all members if Figo didn't arrive with the club, a fee which could have risen to around 5,000 million pesetas.