As he belted a ball around the slum streets of Lisbon, the
young Nani fantasised about being Luis Figo. Now, on the eve of his
first season with Manchester United, the 21-year-old has received
glowing praise from his idol. These days there is a new bench-mark
for Portuguese flair players - Cristiano Ronaldo, a club-mate of
Nani. He [Nani] is a young player with a lot of quality, Figo
said. Nani can prove a lot coming to a league like England with
one of the best teams in the world; hes got a great future. Can
he be as good as Ronaldo? It depends how he adapts and integrates,
but I think so because he has the qualities to be
great.
As Figo was. In 2000, Real Madrid paid £37 million to prise him
from Barcelona, their fierce rivals. But Real bought a symbol as
much as a player: Figo, brooding but brilliant, was one of the
first galácticos, giving the club credibility through celebrity. It
was one of the most controversial transfers in history. Figo and
Ronaldo share a strength of character that allowed them to flourish
despite the violent animosity of opposition fans.
Ronaldo faced invective after his involvement in Wayne Rooneys
sending-off in the World Cup quarter-final last year; against
Barcelona, Figo had to dodge a whisky bottle, golf balls, even a
pigs head when he returned to the Nou Camp as a Real player in
2002. I dont think any athlete in the world faced the same
atmosphere as that night, Figo said at the launch of Inter Milans
new kit at Niketown in London. In the end, I was very satisfied
because I won the league and I think I was a much better
player.