Luis Figo names the one Barcelona player he would sign for Real Madrid | OneFootball

Not more than 25 years ago, Luis Figo broke the footballing the world by making the infamous switch from Barcelona to Real Madrid.

Indeed, few transfers have shaken football like Figo’s jump to Santiago Bernabeu in July 2000. With Madrid paying his release clause, the move stunned the sport and enraged the Camp Nou, turning the Portuguese into one of the most controversial figures in Clasico history.

Fast forward 25 years, Luis Figo, in a recent interview, was asked a question in which he was asked to choose a Barcelona player he would sign for the current Real Madrid team.

Luis Figo’s pick: Pedri

The Portuguese footballing giant, though, did not hesitate in naming Pedri as the Barcelona star he would sign for Los Blancos.

“If I could sign someone from Barça for Real Madrid, it would be Pedri,” said (h/t SPORT) the former Real Madrid and Barcelona superstar.

Explaining his reasoning, Figo added that players like Pedri are “safe and important players in their teams.”

Luis Figo believes Pedri could be an ideal signing for Real Madrid. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The other player Figo was referring to was Federico Valverde, who was picked as the Real Madrid player he would want to sign for Barcelona.

Very few can blame Figo for choosing Pedri, as he has seemingly become the heartbreak of the Barcelona midfield and is now regarded as one of the best midfielders in Europe.

At just 22, Pedri has over 200 competitive appearances for Barcelona. But what stood out for the young midfielder under Hansi Flick is not his performance but his fitness condition.

The injury woes Pedri was so synonymous with appears to be a thing of the past and the Spanish international has been an ever-present figure in the Barcelona starting eleven.

Figo believes a Pedri switch to the Bernabeu would cause a shock similar to his own 2000 transfer. Given the rivalry’s history, it’s hard to argue.

Interestingly, Pedri had a trial at Real Madrid earlier in his youth career, but was told that the midfielder he ‘did not meet the standard’.