Netflix Sets Documentary Feature On Luís Figo’s Controversial Move From FC Barcelona To Real Madrid

Zac Ntim
·2 min read
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Netflix has set its latest collaboration with London-based Pitch Productions titled The Figo Affair (El Caso Figo), a feature-length documentary centred around the story of Ballon d’Or winning Portuguese footballer Luís Figo’s transfer from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid.

Giving a heist film treatment to the most contentious transfer saga in football history, the Spanish-language documentary reveals the engrossing story of how Figo’s transfer from Spanish giants FC Barcelona to their bitter rival Real Madrid, came to pass. The story is a twisting tale of backroom deals, a truly historic sporting rivalry, and a deep cultural divide.

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The Figo Affair is directed by award-winning duo David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas, who directed the Netflix documentary biopic Pelé. Pitch’s head of production, Marie-Denise Dormis, line-produced the film. The doc was developed by Max Dobbyn, who also acted as consulting producer, after joining the company as head of development from Lightbox in 2020.

“After the success of Pelé, Ben and I were delighted to partner with Netflix again on El Caso Figo,” Tryhorn said. “It’s increasingly hard to find sports documentaries that are saying something new, that aren’t simply biographies or histories of sporting successes, so we believe El Caso Figo is unique. Focussing on the transfer rather than Figo’s career, the film informs us about truth, greed, morality, and the inner workings of the world’s most popular sport.”

He added: “We were delighted that all those involved in the deal were willing to participate in full. Everyone, from Florentino Peréz to Pep Guardiola, was generous with their time but Luís Figo was particularly accommodating, desperate as he was to finally set the record straight after two decades of avoiding the question of his transfer.”

London-based Pitch Productions has a string of sports-focused non-fiction credits, including Amazon’s Andy Murray: Resurfacing and All or Nothing: Brazil National Team. For Netflix, the company produced Pelé, a biopic of the legendary Brazilian footballer, and they were co-producers on The Perfect Chaos, the streamer’s series on the PSG forward Neymar.

Pitch has also instituted a reshuffle, with Tryhorn appointed Creative Director after a decade with the company. Reporting to COO Jonathan Rogers, Tryhorn will oversee Pitch’s productions and creative strategy. He will be supported by Max Dobbyn, who has been promoted to Head of Documentaries but will continue to manage the development team.

COO Jonathan Rogers said: “El Caso Figo marks the next phase in Pitch Production’s evolution. It demonstrates our desire to break new ground in sports documentary at a key time in the genre’s evolution, when more sporting stories are being told than ever before.”

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