Figo: I Was Close to Joining Liverpool, but Eventually Moved to Inter

While looking back on his career, Figo revealed that he was very close to joining Liverpool, but delays in the deal eventually caused the transfer to fall through.

The club he was targeting at the time was Liverpool, a team that had just been crowned European champions and was highly attractive to Figo, who was then playing for Real Madrid.

"It was about timing and depended on the financial decisions Liverpool had to make. They took a long time to make up their minds, and at that moment I had to decide my future quickly. I couldn't wait," Figo explained.

"Then Inter Milan appeared. I met President Moratti, and things were resolved quickly. From that moment on, there was no turning back," he recalled.

Figo admitted that the transfer had a special appeal for him. Liverpool was one of the important benchmarks in European football during his childhood, and playing at Anfield was also something that excited him.

"When I was young, Liverpool had a great influence in Europe. Maybe Liverpool was the club I most wanted to play for but ultimately never joined," he admitted.

However, the Portuguese player does not believe that the failed move left a deep regret in his career. "I was fortunate to play for the best teams in the world, and I am happy about that. I don't feel that I was missing that particular wish," he added.

Figo eventually spent four seasons at Inter Milan and ended his professional career there in 2009. During that period, he helped the team win several honors, including four consecutive Serie A titles.

This was not the only transfer that could have changed the course of his career. Two years later, in 2007, Figo also had the chance to leave Italy and move to Saudi Arabia, when the Saudi league had not yet entered its current era of large-scale recruitment.

"Before this current wave arrived, I had the opportunity to join a team there. It was when my first contract with Inter Milan ended, around 2007," he explained.

However, that deal also did not happen. Figo explained the reason candidly: "It was not completed because the people there were not serious enough. So I stayed at Inter Milan for another two years. But Saudi Arabia was not what it is today at that time."

Figo also took the opportunity to analyze Real Madrid's recruitment operations in the previous transfer window.

"I think Real Madrid signed players very well. They added the players they needed in important positions such as center-back, full-back and winger, for example Diomande. Overall, Real Madrid recruited very well, more because of their needs rather than simply looking at names," he said.

Figo believes refreshing the squad is also important for reigniting the team's motivation. "After failing to win trophies in the past two seasons, this step was necessary and the team had to strengthen. It is important for the dressing room atmosphere, and it allows fans to welcome the new season with greater hope and truly get involved."

"It will stop sooner or later. Indeed, it depends on the club's budget, financial fair play rules... but these figures are extremely high," he said.

Figo also believes that some huge expenditures are almost impossible to justify purely from a commercial perspective.

"I think, as people often say or want others to believe, you cannot recover the cost of a 150 million euro transfer through methods such as shirt sales. These signings can bring returns on the sporting side, but financially it is very difficult," he concluded.