Not the Camp Nou or the Bernabeu: Figo reveals his favourite stadium in Spain
He chose his favourite players
Luis Figo took part in a short quiz for the Catalan newspaper "Sport", with the former Real Madrid and Barcelona star revealing his preferences and memories from his playing days, plus the names of the players who catch his eye today.
Regarded as one of the finest right wingers in the history of football, Figo is also tied to one of the most controversial transfers Spanish football has ever seen. He left Barcelona for Real Madrid after feeling the Catalan board had failed to value him properly, both in sporting and financial terms.
The Portuguese's move to Madrid was Florentino Pérez's first major deal after taking over the presidency of the Whites. It placed him at the heart of a fan and media storm for a long time.
A few days ago, Figo attended a La Liga event in New York City for the global premiere of the EA SPORTS game, alongside a host of the competition's legends: Brazil's Marcelo, his compatriot Rivaldo and Argentina's Javier Mascherano.
Once the event wrapped up, Sofía Ramírez, a former Barcelona and Real Madrid player, ran a quick quiz with Figo before posting it on her social media accounts.
Liverpool and San Mamés
The first question concerned the atmospheres that most impressed him. Ramírez asked which stands or stadiums had left a special mark on him. Figo hesitated, then replied: "It's always complicated, but perhaps Liverpool."
Asked about the best stadium in Spain he remembers for its atmosphere, he ruled out the grounds of Barcelona and Real Madrid. "Perhaps San Mamés", he said, referring to the Athletic Bilbao home known for its passionate crowd.
His favourite city to live in came next. Figo answered with a single word: "Lisbon", before Ramírez agreed with him that it is "a very beautiful place".
Pauleta the best team-mate
On the best team-mate of his career, Figo admitted he had played with a huge number of outstanding footballers, but he plumped for his compatriot Pedro Pauleta.
"Thank God, I had very good team-mates, because they were all great, but if I had to choose one, I would say Pauleta," the Portuguese star said.
His pick for toughest opponent split two ways: a Brazilian and an Italian defender, Roberto Carlos and Paolo Maldini. The pair had the strength, speed, experience and ability to snuff out any attacker.
Asked about his best goal, he barely paused. The scarcity of his goals makes the choice easy, he explained, before pointing to the one he scored for Portugal against England at the European Championship.
"It's easy, because I didn't score many goals, so I choose the goal I scored with Portugal against England at the European Championship," Figo said.
Bellingham, Mbappé and Vinícius among the favourites
Figo closed the quiz by naming his favourite players around at the moment. The list featured England's Jude Bellingham, France's Kylian Mbappé and France's Michael Olise, alongside Brazil's Vinícius Júnior.
