Barcelona President will welcome Luis Figo to PSG clash with ‘the respect he deserves’ | OneFootball

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain will provide no shortage of European rivalry and edge, or morbo as it is referred to in Spain, but there will be an added nemesis present for the Blaugrana fans at Montjuic. As part of the UEFA Board attending the match, Luis Figo will take in a rare Barcelona home match.

The Portuguese winger was amongst the best in the world, and certainly the star for Barcelona at the turn of the century. The hero of the people at Camp Nou was converted into a villain in Catalonia though, after he moved for €60m to Real Madrid, their arch rivals.

Joan Laporta will be respectful with Luis Figo

Speaking ahead of the game, as he arrived for a lunch with PSG CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Laporta opined on the presence of Figo.

“Figo is a member of the UEFA Board, and for us, that’s absolutely respectable. He was a Barça player; we remember the afternoons and nights of glory he gave us. Then he made a decision, but life has moved on and evolved. Figo is a member of UEFA and will be received with all the respect he deserves,” he told MD.

Image via Getty Images.

Laporta also confirmed that Barcelona would be contributing to the charity founded by Luis Enrique and his family for his deceased daughter, Fundacion Xana. On the game itself, he explained that it was a match of ‘extreme rivalry’.

“It’s a match of extreme rivalry. We have a very competitive team, just like PSG. Both teams have players missing, which is a shame because I would have liked them all to be available, but there are no excuses.”

Heated reception for Figo

Not everyone shares Laporta’s view on the matter though, and former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart said he would not be acknowledging Figo in the director’s box. The ex-Real Madrid man, on his return to Camp Nou, infamously had a pig’s head thrown at him. Although nothing of that nature is expected, a hostile reception seems likely should he be picked out by the stadium.