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Like a severed pig’s head flying through the air and landing near the corner flag, a Netflix documentary surrounding Luis Figo’s infamous transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid is dramatically arriving. Netflix will be screening a documentary titled ‘The Figo Affair’ (El Caso Figo), charting the infamous transfer of Luis Figo between Barcelona and Real Madrid in 2000.
Few teams in the world have a rivalry like Spanish sides Real Madrid and Barcelona. And even fewer players can say they’ve played for both sides. And even fewer again can say that they made the switch directly from one to the other. One such transfer though is Luis Figo, who made the hugely contentious change back in 2000 under a storm of controversy. Now it’s the focus of a new documentary that’s set to land on Netflix, breaking the mould and veering away from simple biographies or sporting achievements.
What is The Figo Affair?
Netflix has set its latest collaboration with London-based Pitch Productions titled The Figo Affair (El Caso Figo), a feature-length documentary centred around the story of Ballon d’Or winning Portuguese footballer Luís Figo’s transfer from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid.
The documentary lifts the lid on the shady dealings behind the deal to get Figo from Barcelona to Madrid, featuring contributions from the man himself, Pep Guardiola and Florentino Perez among others.
The Figo Affair is directed by award-winning duo David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas, who directed the Netflix documentary biopic, Pele. Pitch’s head of production, Marie-Denise Dormis, line-produced the film. The film was developed by Max Dobbyn, who also acted as consulting producer, after joining the company as head of development from Lightbox in 2020.
The Figo Affair documentary promises in-depth testimonies from Figo, Pep Guardiola, former Barça president Joan Gaspart and the man making a supremely dramatic entrance in the final 10 seconds of the trailer – Florentino Perez himself.
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The Figo Affair (El Caso Figo) release date
Arriving at Barcelona from his boyhood club Sporting at the age of 22, Figo had become an icon and captain in Catalonia over the course of five seasons while winning back-to-back LaLiga titles in 97-98 and 98-99.
But after posting his best individual numbers at the Camp Nou during the 99-00 season, Figo shockingly departed for the Santiago Bernabeu as the first mega-signing of Florentino Perez’s Galácticos era.
All this drama on your screens, on August 25th 2022.
Luis Figo might have not been from La Masia, but the famous academy has a rich history!
Where to watch The Figo Affair
Figo, at that time, was the subject of intense criticism from Barcelona supporters, which came to a head during El Clasico at Camp Nou. 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.
These famous incidents will to be shown in The Figo Affair which will be available only on Netflix from 25th August.
The Figo Affair trailer
The documentary is titled ‘EL Caso Figo’ which translates as ‘The Figo Affair’. You can watch the trailer below.
Luís Figo. Florentino Pérez. 22 years later, the people at the centre of one of Europe's most controversial football transfers tell their stories.
The Figo Affair: The Transfer that Changed Football, coming to Netflix 25 August. pic.twitter.com/7G1yMEVHiw
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) August 19, 2022
It will include interviews with the likes of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, Manchester City manager and then Barcelona player Pep Guardiola and of course, Figo himself as they unpick the details of the transfer.
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Max Dobbyn, Pitch’s head of documentaries stated:
“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 El Caso Figo is unique.
“Focusing 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.
“Everyone, from Florentino Pérez to Pep Guardiola, was generous with their time but Luís Figo was particularly accommodating, desperate as he was to finally set the record straight after two decades of avoiding the question of his transfer.”