Luis Figo return to Camp Nou & the pig's head: Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid 2002

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• published: 27 Mar 2016
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EL CLASICO SPECIALS: Luis Figo's return to the Nou Camp and the pig's head 'El cochinillo' Temporada 2002/2003 ...When Figo jogged across to take a corner in the 72nd minute, debris rained down. In among the coins and bottles settled a suckling pig's head, a cochinillo. The game was delayed for 12 minutes as referee Luis Medina Cantalejo and his assistants tried to restore order. Luis Figo had been sensational for Barcelona. In the age of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it's easy to downplay his achievements, but alongside Patrick Kluivert and Rivaldo he was unstoppable around the turn of the century. He was hugely popular too. One Nou Camp official suggested Figo meant more to Barcelona than home-grown hero Pep Guardiola. But after a stunning individual campaign in the 1999/2000 season, he jetted off to Euro 2000 against a backdrop of uncertainty. Barcelona and Real Madrid were both staging presidential elections that summer, and it was the dawn of the Galactico era in the Spanish capital. Promises were made, Figo's name cropped up, and worryingly for Barca fans, there was talk of a pre-contract agreement with wealthy civil engineer, and Real Madrid presidential hopeful, Florentino Perez. In July 2000, shortly after Portugal were eliminated in the semi-finals, Figo addressed the rumours, reassuring fans that "whatever is said about other clubs, Luis Figo has a contract with Barcelona." But the speculation would not subside. The pre-contract agreement with Perez was thought to have been a tactic designed to put pressure on Barcelona to improve his contract. At that time, no one expected Perez to be successful in his effort to unseat incumbent Lorenzo Sanz. But sitting Barcelona president Josep Lluis Nunez was playing hardball over new deals for star men Figo and Rivaldo, telling the pair they would need to rethink their demands should he win the election. Enter Josep Maria Minguella. The former translator and football coach had worked his way through the corridors of power at the Nou Camp, facilitating Figo's move from Sporting Lisbon to Barca in 1995. He would go on to work as a transfer advisor to the Catalan club before unsuccessfully running for president himself. Perez made his appeal to the Real Madrid electorate, and he was confident. He told the club's 80,000 members registered to vote that he would pay their membership fees the following year if he failed to sign Figo. On July 16, 2000, Figo woke to news that would have profound implications for his future - Perez had won the election. Things moved quickly. The following week, Gaspart became Barca president, but by then it was too late. Figo was gone. The deal was done to take him to their arch rivals for £37.2m, a world record fee. Perez's agreement with Veiga reportedly included a clause whereby if Perez won but Figo dropped out of the move, the player would have paid Real Madrid a "penalty" of 5bn pesetas (£18.75m). With Perez as president, Figo had no option but to leave Barca. Three months later, the first Clasico rolled around. The atmosphere was sure to be toxic, Figo the latest on a short list of players to have crossed the divide. Newspapers apologised in advance for the vitriol to come…