Author: Tony? Eros eros (famous Spanish sports reporter)
We Portuguese are proud and honored to have a compatriot like Figo, who is a model of courtesy, selfless struggle, wisdom and reason. What is more gratifying is that Figo's contribution to the motherland is by no means limited to the stadium. He also strengthened the ties between the Portuguese and the people of other countries and played a commendable role, so we all praised him.
Neto, Director of Portuguese Investment, Trade and Tourism Bureau
Figo's mother is telling the story of Figo's childhood.
Life is like a crossroads, which takes us to different destinations. When is Maria? Joanna? Pesta na? Madeira and Antonio When Figo decided to combine his own life and give birth to a child a few years later, it seemed that they were destined to cultivate a celebrity, a highlight of international football in the new century, and of course, an outstanding talent in Portuguese society: Luis? Philip? Madeira Kello? Figo.
Maria? Joana, 1949 was born on September 2, 1949 in the small town of Ruluminia, which is 0/0 km away from the Portuguese-Spanish border city of Olivenka/kloc-0. A few days after her arrival, her parents moved her family to the northern town of Elvis. This big family (couple plus 10 children) makes a living by farming, and also makes some charcoal that Portugal has lost.
Just south of Elvis Presley, Antonio? Figo was born in Reguengos on April 20th, 1943. Antonio? Figo spent his childhood in the mountains of Roubellat. In order to make a living, 1 1 years old dropped out of school. Before 2 1 year old, he was a very good department store clerk. This year, he was recruited into the Armed Police Force in the capital Lisbon. At the age of 24, he returned to his hometown and worked as a salesman for another year. Then he saved enough money to realize his dream. "No industry, no entertainment, no future. A man's only pastime is sitting in a bar to kill boring time. I don't want to spend my life like the people around me, so I am determined to leave here. " He recalled this. The decision was painful and sad, because he had to leave his parents alone in his hometown, and his brothers were married. "At that time, a supplier friend in my shop assured me that he had an acquaintance in Lisbon and could provide me with a job in the Kova community on the edge of the city."
With courage and determination, Antonio? Figo packed his bags, bid farewell to his familiar homeland and went to a strange destination alone. Antonio? Figo and compatriot Maria are at the inn? If Anna met her, she also dropped out of school and went to work in a clothing factory. Antonio? Figo and Maria? If Anna has been in love for a long time, a church wedding will be held in July 197 1, and soon they will have their first and only child. Maria? If Anna was pregnant at that time but never delayed her work in the clothing factory, the baby would have no movement by the expected date of delivery 1972,10,20, and Antonio, the new father, was finally born until the labor pains of1/kloc-0,2 hours. Figo didn't go to the hospital because he had to go to work, although it was already 9 pm. The child is beautiful, weighing 4300 grams, 47 centimeters long and with dark green eyes. Young parents named him Louis? Philip? Madeira Kello? Figo, with his father's surname Figo, the first name is in memory of grandpa Louis, the second is dedicated to godfather Philip, and the third and fourth represent the family of mother and father respectively. This child was registered at the Lisbon Registration Center in February, 1972, 1972. The registration number is a series of 795209 and the personal number is 3230. He is Figo who has just been elected as the 200 1 World Footballer of the Year.
The St. George's Hospital, where Figo was born, is located in Chile Square and is now almost deserted. However, little Figo, who was born here, fundamentally changed his parents' lives. A strong sense of responsibility makes them work harder. With years of savings and a small loan, the young couple decided to open their own shop. Antonio? Figo and Maria? If Anna resigned one after another, she rented a small facade, half opened a convenience store and half opened a bar, and the cradle of little Figo was placed in a small shop. (2)
Figo's mother Maria? If Anna always showed a loving smile when she recalled Figo's childhood, "Louis was in poor health since childhood. He always has stomachache or earache. Sometimes he is really miserable and keeps crying. In the first ten months, he went to the children's hospital almost every other day, but when he was one year old, he was much better, and those pains and diseases disappeared. " This is a careful mother. She has a diary of children's growth, which records in detail the growth process of little Figo every year, every month and every day, and even the subtle actions he has done. Up to now, if Anna still keeps a blue envelope, it contains baby Figo's golden fur. Maybe many fans feel strange, isn't Figo's hair black? This involves many immigrants and complex races in Portugal. In Portugal, many children's hair changes with age, and Figo is no exception.
Figo has a poor appetite and only likes fish, tomatoes and rice. His parents are always worried because he is too thin and malnourished, much worse than other children of his age. What displeases his parents most is that he often plays football in the street. Of course, Figo's footwork was not very good at that time, and he often broke other people's windows. At the age of seven, he showed his preference for football. His father bought him a red sweatshirt. As a result, Figo did something that surprised his mother. He bought a pair of sports shoes with his pocket money!
(Dad is talking ...) (FIGO's cousin ...)
In primary school, Figo loved to have long hair and was sometimes mistaken for a girl. Recalling that time, Figo said, "I cried every time I got a haircut. I think it is a character to have long blonde hair. " In the street football team, he is the main force and has two idols? Portuguese Sharana and Argentine Diego Diego Maradona.
Portugal has few only children, but Figo's parents are determined not to have children. Sister Maria. Joanna said, "Antonio and I clearly remember the hardships of our childhood. Although we are not hungry, we are always empty-handed, which forces us to leave our hometown, stay away from our relatives and work in other places. Our salary is just enough to live, but we both want to provide our son with basic conditions as much as possible, or even better, so we don't want children. " They are busy from morning till night, so Figo knows that his parents have done a lot for him, but he doesn't study very well, and he doesn't do well in math and music. Like many other children, Figo is addicted to football, so he doesn't take his studies seriously. Father Antonio said, "I am always angry with him, warning him that if he doesn't study hard, he will be busy making a living all day like us." We believe that children should have a better life than themselves, but this can only be done by himself. " However, it will be useless after a few years. He never gave me the high marks I like to see. "
10-year-old Figo began his first love. Ruth, a girl from the same neighborhood, came to Figo's house one day and gave him an envelope containing a love letter. Of course, this is not the first heart that Figo has broken. Figo's cousin Paula said, "Although he was shy since he was a child, his naturalness and simplicity made him very attractive. He had a unique way of making friends."
He goes to school early in the morning and plays football in the afternoon. Although he is still qualified, he never gets high marks. But he is still a good student in the eyes of teachers and students.
His position is just by the window overlooking the stadium outside, where he drives.
Start his football career. The stadium near home.
When his father Antonio saw that Figo had no intention of studying, he talked with the head of the Pastilla Club, which is only three blocks away from their home, about the idea of arranging Figo in a primary training class. This year, Figo 12 years old, can be registered according to Portuguese regulations, so he got his wish and joined the Stubal Regional Football Association under the Portuguese Football Association, with the registration number BI-9884/ 1985.
Figo quickly put on his first formal uniform: white T-shirt, red shorts and red and white socks. The club participates in regional leagues, but it doesn't have its own stadium. The competitions are all held in the Kova Community Stadium. If the court is occupied, the poor coach will have to take the children everywhere to fight guerrilla warfare, either in the indoor court or doing warm-up or passing training on the court. The situation is quite sad. Figo recalled: "It was an unpleasant game. At that time, we played Stubal regional junior league. I remember losing at least 65,438+00 goals in every game. Although the morale of the whole team is high, we must admit that we played quite badly. We have only won one game all season, and that is to beat La Marias. But it's not surprising that we don't have proper training at all, and every home is running around. At that time, I played avant-garde and was the youngest in the team. I am younger than other children 1 year. After the game, the coach always takes us for a drink and a sandwich. I am extremely happy. "
(3)
The home team was forced to disband.
Due to the poor performance of the team, the poor management of the club and the lack of financial support, the team leader is no longer willing to ask for help every weekend so that the team can play in a certain venue with dignity, so he decided to suspend the football project and continue to organize carnivals, dances and indoor football. Later, in the sixth year after Figo left, that is,199165438+February, this small club ushered in the biggest scene since its establishment: hundreds of guests came to celebrate Figo's birthday and give him awards, but the club simply could not accommodate so many people, and most of them had to stand on the road outside the door. Club President vitol? Oliveira told the Globe: "I played with Figo 1985. He is short and thin. At that time, I played central defender, and he was less than my shoulder height. Although he is the youngest in the team, his ability to protect the ball is amazing and no one can break it. " Figo presented three jerseys to the club: the Pastilla team uniform, the Sporting Lisbon team uniform and the Portuguese national team uniform used by 12 years old. The disappearance of Pastilla changed Figo's fate. Soon he was registered in the junior training class of Sporting Lisbon. Antonio, his father, recalled: "I talked to the head of the Pastilla Club, and they quickly reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon, which paid Figo 20,000 Portuguese guilders (about 100 US dollars)."
Join Sporting Lisbon
Figo and his cousin Miguel were placed in the second youth team of Sporting Lisbon, coached by 35-year-old Barna Bay. He played for the team from 196 1 to 1968 and wrote the book Let's Play Football. Now Barnabe still clearly remembers Figo's first day: "It was an afternoon, and they led a child who was less than 1.4 meters and weighed only 30 kilograms at most. He is very shy, but I like the way he sticks the ball to his feet. I said to myself,' This may be a rough diamond'. " Barnabe is a very patient coach. At that time, he had 53 children, 8 of whom were goalkeepers. "We train four times a week from 6: 30 pm to 10. I looked at those children and understood how much they had sacrificed. After class, they will train for more than three hours, do their homework, have dinner and get up at 7 o'clock the next day to go to school. But I think this is the first torture they must go through to become an excellent professional player in the future. " But what makes him feel worse is that most children must be eliminated. "More than 2,000 children come to Lisbon for trial training every year. We have no choice but to screen again and again. Every time I say' no need to come again', I feel very uncomfortable. "
Figo's situation is special. Barnabe didn't eliminate him in the first week and didn't explain it in the second week and the third week, but he didn't officially join the team. Figo said: "At that time, I left home at 5 pm every day, took the bus, changed to the river ferry, and then took the bus or subway to the stadium." He couldn't stand the four-hour journey and the money spent on transportation every day, so he got up the courage to find a coach. Barnabe finally decided to let him stay. From then on, Figo officially joined the famous "Lions Team", and the club paid his transportation and other expenses, and his parents also breathed a sigh of relief.
Be robbed
1Sunday, October 3rd 1984, 1 13, 13, Figo participated in the national league for the first time. This is an important day. Figo played 55 minutes (60 minutes at this level), scored a goal and made a good start. At that time, he was placed on the right, just like today. Since then, Figo has been the main force, and he still runs between the stadium and home every day, even in danger of being robbed. "On one occasion, two big boys got on the bus and squeezed me in one by one, forcing me to hand over my watch. I held back and ran to the gentlemen in front of the car to tell someone that they were going to rob. As a result, the gentlemen twisted them off, and I got home safely, but I was still shocked. " In the season of 1984/ 1985, their team reached the final of the Lisbon Football Association's primary league, and the opponent was a powerful Benfica team, one of whom was Rui? The core of Costa, Figo was not called into the team, and the team lost the championship 0-/kloc-0. A week later, they played against the Spanish team in May and suffered a 0- 15 defeat. However, coach Barnabe has never lost his trust in Figo, and he is also trustworthy. Figo scored eight goals in 27 games in his first season.
1On June 28th, 986, the scrawny boy won the first trophy in his life, that is, a special trip to Lisbon. The competitive team scored 32 goals and lost 0 goals. Figo has always been the main midfielder of the team. Explaining the reasons for the team's success, Barnabe said: "For any of them, we are never in a hurry to succeed. Our goal is to make a little progress, so as to develop harmoniously. Figo was really good at that time, and passing the ball was a must. I always let him play on the right wing in a 4-3-3 formation. I like watching him keep the ball under his feet for a long time. I can see that he loves football very much. This character shows that he is not afraid of making mistakes at all. I believe that Figo has never had weak legs. " Barnabe, who is now over 50, has opened a football school in Monsanto, a scenic city in Lisbon. More than 100 children are learning football. He said with emotion, "When I saw Figo playing so confidently and calmly on any court, I remembered that he always looked down on his teammates and regarded them as excellent players more than 10 years ago. He thinks more about the team than himself. This advantage has been with him until today. And at 1985, we didn't get a yellow card all season, let alone a red card. This is happier for me than winning the championship, because the most basic and important thing for children is education. I remember once a child was careless and didn't listen to the arrangement, so I simply replaced him, but I didn't send anyone. Only 10 players can play on the team. " Barna Bay is not only like a football dictionary, but also like a psychologist. At the end of each year, he asked the children to write down their feelings about the team, family problems and school troubles. He has kept these letters, including Figo's. In addition, he will take the children to have a physical and dental examination once a year.
Love in Barcelona in the dark
1986/ 1987 season new coach Carlos? Pereira took office, and he also attached importance to Figo. 1987 1.4 In the ninth round of the league against Canasas, Figo scored four of the team's 12 goals, which was the only time in his life. 14 days later, he won the honor for the first time in his life: the coach put the captain's armband on him, and Sports Daily reporter David? Sekera also reported the battle with a full page, one of which read: "Sporting Lisbon has excellent individuals, including the dexterous captain Figo." March 2 1987, 2 1, with a perfect record 15 1, conceded two goals, reached the Lisbon regional league final, and beat Benfica 4-0 to win the championship. Figo kept the newspaper clippings and photos at that time, but strangely, he changed into a Barcelona team logo. Is there any coincidence? Then on June 12, he competed with Porto for the national championship. Figo got a yellow card in the game, but helped the team win 3-/kloc-0, and won the national championship of Portuguese primary league. Throughout the season, Figo scored 16 goals in 32 games, which attracted everyone's attention. He was naturally promoted to the youth team of the competitive team. In order to help his body grow, someone has been arranging for him to take vitamins, and the results are quite amazing. Have you found two stars, Futre and Simao? Ferran, the grass-roots supervisor of the Sabo Laudesha Athletic Team, recalled: "In just one year, Figo has grown 10cm, from a thin child to a strong teenager with obvious muscles and an athlete-like figure, which is simply extraordinary.
1987/ 1988 season started in neighboring Spain. This is the first time for Figo to go abroad. They were invited to participate in the Vargas International Friendship Cup. Although they will win the championship all the way, Figo was seriously injured for the first time in his life. His right ankle was sprained, swollen and even left the root of the disease. Figo said: "Since then, I have always felt that it is quite sensitive. Sometimes the ankle is tired after running too much, and the uncomfortable taste is hard to describe. " This season, the competitive youth team participated in the Group C round robin in the Southern Division of the League of Nations, and Figo had a new career: taking penalty kicks. He showed a high shooter temperament and courage to take responsibility. From 1987 to 65438+February, 1988, he scored nine penalties in eight games. Figo scored 20 goals in 39 games throughout the season. 1988/ 1989 season, Figo was called up by the coach of the Portuguese youth team, but he still showed excellent state. In the first six league games, his goals in other games were not strikers. At the end of the season, * * * 17 times, he missed half the game.
4] Age of professional players 17
1989/ 1990 season, Figo really entered the ranks of professional players, which sounds like a lie, because he was only 17 years old at that time, which should be the age to go to middle school! But Figo did do something unimaginable to ordinary people: he participated in the national professional league since childhood. Not only did he never complain about the troubles caused by the changes in the environment and the competition system, but he also won the recognition of his level, courage and personality from the whole team in the first year. In the first round of the league against Lille, esto, Figo scored his signature goal: dribbling from the left side of the midfield, passing all the opponents who came to tackle, and shooting his right foot volley into the lower left corner of the gate at the front of the penalty area. Also because he was selected for the national youth team, he only played 29 league games and scored 15 times. His mother Maria? If Anna often comes to watch her son's game, she would rather come alone with Jiraiya than accompany her husband. "He is always very nervous. Every time my opponent kicks or hurts his son, he loses his temper with me. He was also angry when the referee was unfair or misjudged his son. I really can't stand him, so even if we come to the stadium together, I will sit here and he will sit opposite. "
Be selected for the national youth team
Figo had no idea that the newcomer trained by this poor team would be recruited by the Portuguese national team. He still went to the court to train and play football day after day, and did not foresee the opportunities brought by the TV exhibition game. His mother Maria? If Anna is still very excited today, she recalls: "I remember very clearly that it was 1988 10/0 month 19. Just a few days before Figo's 16 birthday, Little Figo suddenly rushed into the room with a beaming face and told him. I held him in my arms and wept, but he just smiled happily. " Father Antonio said: "At that moment, I felt that I was the happiest and proudest father in the world, because he was really successful." Figo still treasures the original fax, which reads: "Please go to Lisbon INTERCON at1October 22nd 19: 30? When you report to TINENTAL Hotel, you must bring your sneakers, ID card and a statement signed by your parents agreeing to let your son go abroad for the competition.
"I don't know why, it seems that Figo's life is doomed to leave Spain. His debut in the national team was against Spain, when the Spanish team had Alfonso, Jody, Flores and other stars. It's a pity that Portugal lost by one goal, but the Spanish media think that this teenager, who is only 15 years old, has such dribbling ability and surpasses others, which is really amazing. Queiroz also saw this. Since then, he has hardly let Figo miss a game and devoted himself to these excellent teenagers (including Rui? Costa, Joao? Pinto, Paul? Sosa, Ka Puccio and other famous stars explain and impart football experience, tactics and philosophy, and he subtly changes children's way of thinking.
Queiroz said: "I told them that being selected for the national youth team does not mean the peak or end of their football career, but only the beginning." What is most needed in this period is ambition. I instilled in them that they should carefully prepare their physical strength and spirit before each game. I hope no one will be afraid after they play, and encourage them to always show their highest level. Besides, the world champion is not far away. In fact, being a champion begins with the desire and idea of being a champion. " In June 5438+February of that year, the youth league under his command won the first international invitational championship in Israel. When Figo returned to China, his parents and relatives were waiting at the airport exit. Figo grinned and held the trophy high.
Yangwei World Youth Championship
1989, Figo, who has been selected for the Portuguese national youth team, has only one task to play in the European Youth Championship under 16. In this arena, he met many famous players later, such as French goalkeeper Du teruel, who later became a teammate of Barcelona. However, against France, Figo accidentally scored an own goal in the clearance, which was his first and only own goal in the national team. Figo said: "I feel terrible and full of guilt." I think I should be responsible for the team's defeat. " And make up your mind that you can't make the same mistake again from now on. For this reason, I watched the video repeatedly and summed up the lessons. "
Later, they successively defeated Romania, the Netherlands, Israel, Switzerland and Scotland. In the final, they defeated the powerful west Germany team 4-/kloc-0. They conquered Europe and brought the trophy back to Portugal. However, during this period, Figo's teammates in Benfica and Porto received quite good subsidies, while Sporting Lisbon did not because of financial difficulties. For a 16-year-old child, he certainly feels particularly lost and feels that his value is not reflected.
Benfica offered him an attractive two-year contract and of course he signed it. As a result, the two most famous big clubs in the Portuguese capital got into a fight. It happened that Sporting Lisbon elected a new president, sintra, who was determined to keep Figo. Benfica complained to the Football Association on the grounds of that contract. 1989/ 1990 Before the start of the season, the Football Association officially filed an investigation and Figo signed two contracts at the same time. The final sentence is to ban Figo for 45 days, and the contract with Sporting Lisbon is valid. History has proved that Figo can always provoke conflicts between the most influential clubs, and he signed contracts with many clubs more than once, and later appeared repeatedly.
The great glory of the youth team comes from1991June 14-30. At the 8th FIFA World Youth Championship, Coach Queiroz called 18 players, including Figo and Rui? Costa, Xavier (defender who caused a fatal penalty by handball in the semi-final of Euro 2000, which led to Portugal's defeat by France) and Joao? Pinto, Paul? Sosa, etc. The World Youth Championship was held in Portugal. Every match of the Portuguese youth team has an audience of 30,000 to 50,000. In the 3-0 victory over Argentina, Figo didn't score, but he was still rated as the best in the game. "Ball" wrote: "What level is this! He is the soul of the team and pushes the team to victory. "
Then they beat South Korea, Mexico and Australia and entered the World Youth Championship finals for the second time in a row. Portugal won the championship with 1989. There is no doubt that the two best youth teams will meet in the final. They both speak Portuguese, that is, Portugal and Brazil. On June 30th, 199 1, Benfica welcomed127,000 spectators, including Alberto and Roberto of Brazil. Carlos, nunes, etc. Figo's performance is even worse in front of Brazilian players who are good at technology. Of course, due to the importance of the game, both teams are mainly defensive and have not invested too much offensive power. 120 minutes, they scored 0-0 and hit the crossbar in a penalty shootout, which led to Brazil's defeat. Figo has finally become the world champion! Portuguese media commented after the game: "Figo is a mature fig, and his light covers the whole World Youth Championship (Figo means fig in Portuguese). They are also called the golden generation of Portugal.
Yangwei World Youth Championship
1989, Figo, who has been selected for the Portuguese national youth team, has only one task to play in the European Youth Championship under 16. In this arena, he met many famous players later, such as French goalkeeper Du teruel, who later became a teammate of Barcelona. However, against France, Figo accidentally scored an own goal in the clearance, which was his first and only own goal in the national team. Figo said: "I feel terrible and full of guilt." I think I should be responsible for the team's defeat. " And make up your mind that you can't make the same mistake again from now on. For this reason, I watched the video repeatedly and summed up the lessons. "
Later, they successively defeated Romania, the Netherlands, Israel, Switzerland and Scotland. In the final, they defeated the powerful west Germany team 4-/kloc-0. They conquered Europe and brought the trophy back to Portugal. However, during this period, Figo's teammates in Benfica and Porto received quite good subsidies, while Sporting Lisbon did not because of financial difficulties. For a 16-year-old child, he certainly feels particularly lost and feels that his value is not reflected.
Benfica offered him an attractive two-year contract and of course he signed it. As a result, the two most famous big clubs in the Portuguese capital got into a fight. It happened that Sporting Lisbon elected a new president, sintra, who was determined to keep Figo. Benfica complained to the Football Association on the grounds of that contract. 1989/ 1990 Before the start of the season, the Football Association officially filed an investigation and Figo signed two contracts at the same time. The final sentence is to ban Figo for 45 days, and the contract with Sporting Lisbon is valid. History has proved that Figo can always provoke conflicts between the most influential clubs, and he signed contracts with many clubs more than once, and later appeared repeatedly.
The great glory of the youth team comes from1991June 14-30. At the 8th FIFA World Youth Championship, Coach Queiroz called 18 players, including Figo and Rui? Costa, Xavier (defender who caused a fatal penalty by handball in the semi-final of Euro 2000, which led to Portugal's defeat by France) and Joao? Pinto, Paul? Sosa, etc. The World Youth Championship was held in Portugal. Every match of the Portuguese youth team has an audience of 30,000 to 50,000. In the 3-0 victory over Argentina, Figo didn't score, but he was still rated as the best in the game. "Ball" wrote: "What level is this! He is the soul of the team and pushes the team to victory. "
Then they beat South Korea, Mexico and Australia and entered the World Youth Championship finals for the second time in a row. Portugal won the championship with 1989. There is no doubt that the two best youth teams will meet in the final. They both speak Portuguese, that is, Portugal and Brazil. On June 30th, 199 1, Benfica welcomed127,000 spectators, including Alberto and Roberto of Brazil. Carlos, nunes, etc. Figo's performance is even worse in front of Brazilian players who are good at technology. Of course, due to the importance of the game, both teams are mainly defensive and have not invested too much offensive power. 120 minutes, they scored 0-0 and hit the crossbar in a penalty shootout, which led to Brazil's defeat. Figo has finally become the world champion! Portuguese media commented after the game: "Figo is a mature fig, and his light covers the whole World Youth Championship (Figo means fig in Portuguese). They are also called the golden generation of Portugal.
The forger of the golden generation
If every coach in Figo's career is very important, then Carlos is the one who has the core, guiding role and the greatest influence? Queiroz (now Real Madrid coach). Without Queiroz, Figo's football level and international competition experience would never have reached the present level.
Although it started from a small club, Lias, Pasti and Figo, who was only 18 years old, joined the first team of Sporting Lisbon. He has had an international competition experience that his peers never dreamed of: he played 4 1 game for the Portuguese youth team, was selected for the under-20 youth team and 2 1 year-old youth team, and played 12 and 7 games respectively, and that's all. He is the real "patron saint" and "godfather" of Figo, and personally took Figo through the soaring era of 15 to 22.
Queiroz was born in Mozambique on March 65438, 0953. His parents are Portuguese. At that time, Mozambique was a Portuguese overseas colony. He joined the Mozambican government at the age of 14? Railway team, 2 1 year-old, Mozambique people's uprising launched the war of independence, so he had to take some clothes and flee back to Portugal. In desperation, he had to stay in the university for five years with a scholarship and read the first master's degree in football in Portugal. When he was young, he was so crazy about football that he didn't even know there were several discotheques near the university, but he would rather spend money to fly to Andorra just to watch a game conducted by the famous Argentine coach Mei Nuodi. He was a teacher for a while, so people later called him "Professor Queiroz"
Since 1987, he has been responsible for the formation of all youth teams in Portugal. In order to recruit more talents, he came up with a national youth football skill competition on TV. This TV program is called Skills. Queiroz recalled: "We personally visited all the well-known football schools in the country and selected good seedlings from them. I remember clearly that I fell in love with Figo's performance as soon as I saw him. He was naturally chosen as one of the finalists. When he officially appeared on TV, audiences all over the country could see them. These children are the best of their peers from 13 to 16. That day, they performed jumping, catching, passing and controlling the ball. I looked at their immature bodies but they were full of dexterity. Since then, I have made up my mind to build a new style youth team. I tried my best to bring all children with football talent under the management of the Football Association and select them at different levels, so I began to standardize the youth football leagues divided by regions and establish a systematic project. The local and national football associations tracked and investigated the young players over 13 years old. No matter then or now, I firmly believe that they are definitely the most competitive and talented players in the world, and the world champion will be produced among them sooner or later. "
(5) The first professional contract
After playing in the Lisbon Athletic Youth Team for two more seasons, Figo was selected by the first-team coaching staff. The coach at that time was Raul? Aguas. 1 990 April1