28 June 2007, by Sean Gillen

Portuguese Abroad season review:
Luis Figo

Evergreen Figo proves class has no age

In what was expected to be his last season in European football, Luis Figo had an eventful 2006/07 year with Italian champions Inter Milan.

Not only was one of the finest wingers of his generation introduced to a new position, there was also a fallout with his manager and subsequent announcement that he would leave the club, followed by another championship title and a u-turn on his future.

Figo’s men began the season as champions, despite only finishing third in 2005/06, after both Juventus and Milan were punished for match-fixing. Inter spent heavily and Milan (point deductions) and Juve (relegation) were handed severe reprimands, leaving the Nerazurri clear favourites for the Scudetto.

Supercup winner

The campaign began well, with Figo scoring the winner as Inter beat Roma 4-3 in the Supercup. The team won four and drew two of their first six league games, although Figo struggled for form and spent time on bench until an impressive performance against Udinese saw him back in favour.

As Figo approached his 34th birthday, manager Roberto Mancini decided that there would be times when the winger’s talents would be better suited to a new position, and the Portuguese was often implemented in a central free role behind the forwards.

Mancini clearly recognised Figo’s European pedigree, selecting him in his line-up for five of the team’s six Champions League group games as the Nerazurri recovered from defeat in their opening two matches to qualify for the last sixteen.

Rumours of unrest

Despite being involved in most of his team’s league games as Inter remained undefeated going into the winter break, Figo began to see his name linked with moves abroad amid rumours of a strained relationship with Mancini.

Inter president Massimo Moratti insisted that the Portuguese remain at the club, but Figo took the surprise decision to announce his departure in December, revealing that he would leave for Saudi Arabia at the end of his contract in the summer.

With a comfortable lead at the top of Serie A, Inter recorded six straight league wins after the winter break and it soon became clear that the Scudetto was heading to the San Siro, despite a valiant effort from Roma to keep up the chase.

Europe became the club’s main focus, but a 2-2 home draw with Valencia in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie proved costly as the Spaniards advanced on away goals following a scoreless draw at the Mestalla. Figo started the home tie, but was a second half substitute in Spain as both clubs received criticism for a post-match brawl.

Crowd plea to stay

Figo’s impressive form in the closing weeks of the season, which saw him register his first league goal against Atalanta, resulted in further pressure to delay his exit by another year. His proposed move to Saudi Arabia then fell through, and during Inter’s last league game against Torino, Figo scored from the spot amid chants of from the home crowd for him to stay in Milan.

The season ended with defeat to Roma in the Italian Cup final, but Figo delighted his loyal supporters by agreeing to extend his deal with Inter by a further year, telling reporters that he was determined to win the Champions League once more before bowing out of the game.

                               Season stats - Luis Figo

                        Substitute appearances in brackets