Film Review: "The Figo Affair: The Transfer that Changed Football" ("El caso Figo: El fichaje del siglo") (2022).

From Netflix and the directors of Crossing the Line and Pelé comes The Figo Affair: The Transfer that Changed Football (El caso Figo: El fichaje del siglo). This Spanish documentary film directed by Ben Nicholas and David Tryhorn. This documentary spotlights one of the most contentious deals in football history and the extraordinary player at the center of the storm: Luís Figo.

On 4 November 1972, Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, was born. He won one hundred and twenty-seven caps for the Portugal national team, a one-time record that has since been bettered by Pepe, Cristiano Ronaldo and João Moutinho. He is considered one of the best Portuguese football players of all time. Renowned for his creativity and ability to get past defenders as a winger, Figo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His one hundred and six assists are the second-most in La Liga history, behind Lionel Messi. He won the 2000 Ballon d'Or, 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and in 2004 Pelé named him in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. Figo is one of the few football players to have played for both Spanish rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. His controversial transfer in 2000 from Barcelona to bitter rivals Real Madrid set a world record fee of €62 million. Figo had a successful career highlighted by several trophy wins, including the Portuguese Cup, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and three Italian Super Cups. At international level, he scored 32 goals for Portugal, representing the nation at three European Championships and two World Cups, helping them reach the final but finish as runners-up at Euro 2004.

As it paints an honest portrait of the complex relationship between sports and politics in Spain, the film suggests that the star transcended both. You'll be hard-pressed to find a subject as enthralling, human, or intrinsically linked to their culture and country as this one, and this documentary is a fitting tribute to that legacy. The story isn't as compellingly told as it could be and directors Ben Nicholas and David Tryhorn's efforts to examine the turmoil of the era doesn't quite come off. As it's been said, what the film says matters less what than what he did on a soccer field. And this documentary is faithful testimony of that. As a tightly focused look on one man's influence and dominance of a global game for more than a decade, the film is a more than entertaining watch. Here's a slightly more upscale contribution to the deluge of feature-length football documentaries that have flooded our screens in the last few years.

Simon says The Figo Affair: The Transfer that Changed Football (El caso Figo: El fichaje del siglo) receives:

Also, see my review for Pelé.