Netflix has announced The Figo Affair (El Caso Figo), a feature-length documentary centred around Luis Figo’s controversial switch from Barcelona to 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 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.
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 Pelé. “After the success of Pelé, Ben and I were delighted to partner with Netflix again on El Caso Figo,” Tryhorn said. “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. Focussing 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.”
He added: “We were delighted that all those involved in the deal were willing to participate in full. Everyone, from Florentino Peréz 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.”
The Figo Affair (El Caso Figo) is set to land on Netflix on 25 August.
