Real Madrid's Ballon d'Or winner admitted a strong desire to join Liverpool

Real Madrid legend Luis Figo recently revealed that he nearly joined Liverpool in 2005.

The Portuguese football legend Luis Figo, winner of the 2000 Ballon d'Or, was one of the best wingers in the world during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He became infamous for his shocking transfer from Barcelona to their rivals Real Madrid, which made him a "traitor" in the eyes of Catalan fans.

Although he had a successful career in La Liga and Serie A, Figo never got the chance to play in the Premier League. However, few know that in 2005, he came very close to joining Liverpool.

In an interview with The Guardian, Figo disclosed: “I was very eager to join Liverpool. We had several discussions. One week they said ‘wait a bit,’ then they signed another player. A few days later, they said ‘wait a little longer,’ and then another signing happened. I thought: ‘Are you kidding me?’. Then Inter came along, I met president Moratti, and decided to go to Milan. That was what I needed at the time, and I immediately fell in love with Inter.”

Although Figo did not mention names, British media reported that Liverpool signed Boudewijn Zenden from Middlesbrough and Mark González from Albacete—two wingers who would have played the position Figo was targeting.

Zenden, the Dutch midfielder, later made 47 appearances for Liverpool and played a key role in their run to the 2007 Champions League final before moving on to Marseille and Sunderland. Meanwhile, Chilean star Mark González faced work permit issues, was loaned to Real Sociedad for a season, and eventually made 36 appearances for Liverpool. Although he did not leave a huge mark, his transfer is remembered as a turning point that indirectly ended Figo’s chance to play in the Premier League.

Unable to wait any longer, Figo turned to Inter Milan and quickly achieved success. During his four years at San Siro, he won four Serie A titles, proving he was still a major star even in the later stage of his career.

Looking back, many Liverpool fans still regret missing out on Figo, who, despite being past his prime, remained one of Europe’s top stars. His arrival could have written an interesting chapter for the “Reds” in the post-Istanbul 2005 era.