It seemed impossible. Then it happened,and everything changed. Figo was branded a traitor,a mercenary – and more than two decades later,he remains persona non grata in Barcelona.
The hate reached fever pitch a couple of years into his tenure at Madrid during anEl Clasico at the Camp Nou. Figo was pelted with beer cans,cigarette lighters,coins,empty bottles,golf balls – anything fans could get their hands on. As he attempted to take a corner,there were so many missiles raining down upon him that the referee had to stop play for 20 minutes.
During that stoppage,cameras picked up what would become the defining image of the rivalry:a severed pig’s head.
It appears Sydney FC fans have designs on providing the same sort of reception to their former hero,Milos Ninkovic,whojoined Western Sydney Wanderers - the closest equivalent to Figo’s act of betrayal the A-League has seen - after falling out with coach Steve Corica in the off-season.
Saturday’s Sydney derby at Allianz Stadium,which is on track for a near-capacity crowd,will be the first time since his departure that Ninkovic will have crossed paths with his old team and the supporters who sang his name across seven trophy-laden years.
The mutual loathing that once characterised this fixture has faded in recent years but,thanks to Ninkovic,it’s back with a vengeance.