Figo: Not on his own (Photo/Allsport)

But if your club is called Real Madrid, and that man was treasured by your fiercest rival, then perhaps you would make a point of doing just that.

Such is life in top-flight Spanish football, which resumed action at the weekend after a long summer of unusually fraught political wheeling and dealing - even by its own great standards.

'Luis Figo' are two words that have encapsulated all that is good and bad about football in 2000. England fans have more cause than most to remember the imperious, scarlet-shirted No.7 who inspired Portugal all the way to the European Championship semi-finals in the Low Countries.

But, in turn, those dynamic and skillful displays at Euro 2000 laid the foundations for a world record £37 million transfer that has Barcelona fans seething and will ensure a reception bordering on riotous when Figo returns to play at his home of the past five seasons.

Believing he could force an improved pay deal from Barca, Figo signed a pre-contract agreement with Real presidential candidate Florentino Perez, one that would see the midfielder join Real were Perez to oust incumbent Lorenzo Sanz.

Figo is no stranger to contractual intrigue - he once signed deals simultaneously with Parma and Juventus. However, despite La Octava (Real's eighth European Cup win), Perez upset the applecart with a surprise victory in the July ballot of Real members.

Crucially, as the Spanish daily Marca revealed, a £16 million pay-off had been stipulated were Figo to renege, and at a stroke the 27-year-old's earlier claims that he had neither signed any deal with Real, nor would he be leaving Barcelona, were exposed as myth.

But Figo has only been one central figure in this off-season epic of winners and losers, arrivals and departures.

Where Figo failed, world player of the year Rivaldo won through, negotiating a mind-boggling £85,000-a-week pay deal to keep him at Camp Nou, where Joan Gaspart seized the presidential reins and promptly delivered on his promise to buy Arsenal duo Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit.

Overmars has admitted the risks involved in his 'dream move' from Highbury to a rudderless club whose coach - former technical director Lloren Serra Ferrer - might be considered as nothing more than stop-gap (but then who isn't?) after being sucked in to the vacuum left by the sacking of Louis van Gaal.

Last Season	P	Pts
Deportivo	38	69
Barcelona	38	64
Valencia	38	64
Zaragoza	38	63
R Madrid	38	62
Alaves	38	61
Celta	38	53
Valladolid	38	53
Rayo	38	52
Mallorca	38	48
A Bilbao	38	50
Malaga	38	47
R Sociedad	38	47
Espanyol	38	46
Racing S	34	27
Oviedo	38	45
Numancia	38	45
Betis (Rel)	38	42
Atletico (Rel)	38	38
Sevilla (Rel)	38	28

Quality newcomers including Overmars, Petit, Alfonso, Gerard and Ivan de la Pena will again make star-studded Barca a force on both home and European fronts, but their arrivals owe more to presidential posturing than tactical forethought.

Meanwhile, Perez is promising two tough years as he nurses Real through her 'grave sickness' (aka a $250million debt), a process which must avoid the unthinkable step of seizing ownership from members and turning the club into a limted company.

Despite the purchase of Figo, some cash has been recouped with the sales of sulking striker Nicolas Anelka (to Paris St-Germain) and Bosnian Elvir Baljic (Fenerbahce).

The challenge on the pitch, however, is to reshape a midfield shorn of fans' favourites Fernando Redondo (sold to AC Milan) and the ostracised Steve McManaman.

Figo is joined by other new signings, including Flavio Conceicao (Deportivo La Coruna), Claude Makelele (Celta Vigo) and - from Racing Santander - Pedro Munitis, the spritely winger who gave France a torrid time in Spain's narrow quarter-final defeat at Euro 2000.

Amid this state of flux, however, remains coach Vicente del Bosque who, after picking up the pieces from John Toshack, seemed to have found plugs for a leaky defence at the critical point in last year's campaign.

And how fitting that del Bosque's new Liga season should began with a repeat of the Champions League final against Valencia, whose coach Victor Cuper is also something of a magician himself.

Having challenged for the title with unfashionable Real Mallorca in 1999, when they also reached the last Cup-winners Cup Final, the Argentinian surpassed himself by masterminding the thrilling march to the Big One in Paris in May, while also ensuring qualification for this season's competition by finishing third in the league.

But will he be able to repeat the astonishing demolitions of Lazio and Barcelona without the attacking flair of Claudio Lopez, Gerard and Paco Farinos?

Didier Deschamps (Chelsea) and Ruben Baraja (from relegated Atletico Madrid) have arrived to bolster the midfield, while up front Slovenia hero Zlatko Zahovic (Olympiakos) is joined by Norwegian hope John Carew (Rosenborg).

	Staying put: Valencia's Gaizka Mendieta (Phil Cole/Allsport)

To the fans, however, all the toings and froings are insignificant next to the new deal accepted by their talisman Gaizka Mendieta, whose continued commitment offers hope to all that the modern professional can possess loyalty to match his ambition.

The dominance of Spanish clubs in Europe last term makes it easy to forget that it was, in fact, Deportivo La Coruna who won the championship last season. A dramatic slump in form almost robbed of them of their first title and, to remedy this, coach Javier Irureta has invested heavily.

Offsetting the loss of playmaker Conceicao to Real Madrid are midfielders Cesar Sampaio (Palmeiras), Aldo Duscher (Sporting Lisbon), Emerson (Tenerife) and Juan Carlos Valeron who is accompanied by goalkeeper Jose Molina from Atletico. However, Diego Tristan - the club's record signing from Mallorca - will have his work cut out to repeat the scoring feats of knee injury victim Roy Makaay.

Deportivo's twin home and Champions League commitments - in particular Irureta's determination to avoid the kind of Euro-mauling dished out by Arsenal - will see them struggle to repeat their unlikely title triumph.

Aficionados of Primera Liga football are scratching their heads to find other title challengers, particularly with fourth-placed finishers Real Zaragoza losing coach Txetxu Rojo to Atheltic Bilbao and Euro 2000 top-scorer Savo Milosevic (21 goals last season).

	Out: Deportivo striker Roy Makaay (Picture/Allsport)

Celta Vigo (seventh) may still have their wily coach Victor Fernandez but an exodus of key players, including Makelele, Albert Celades, Mazinho, Haim Revivo and keeper Richard Dutruel, will see them struggle to keep with the pace.

Having retained striker Raul Tamudo, Cup-winners Espanyol should improve on the poor league form that had them flirting with relegation, although a UEFA Cup challenge could complicate things for coach Paco Flores.

Rayo Vallecano, last year's early-season pace setters, fell away badly and will hope that new boys Elvir Bolic (Fenerbahce), Patxi Ferreira (Athletic), Ivan Iglesias (Oviedo) and Gustavo Bartlet (Roma) can bring stamina enough for them to challenge for Europe.

Meanwhile, such was Alaves' surprise at their sixth place, that they have been offering free flights to fans travelling for their UEFA Cup trips - they should enjoy it while it lasts.

Also in the Basque Country, returning coach Rojo is well aware that Athletic Bilbao's Basques-only policy will always hinder his attempts to guide them back into Europe. Javier Clemete, who led them to twin title successes in the 80s, will concentrate on steering Real Sociedad into the right half of the table - although Arif Erdem's arrival from Galatasaray promises much.

At the bottom, it's anybody's guess after the relegation of high-calibre clubs Atletico, Sevilla and Real Betis last year. Of their replacements, the worthy graft of Osasuna may not be enough, but division two champs Las Palmas - with a resurgent Robert Jarni - and third-placed Villarreal , who have Spain veteran Guillermo Amor, could well stay afloat.

Should any of the promoted clubs survive, Malaga, Numancia and Oviedo (who have mystifyingly taken in coach Radomir Antic from Atletico) could be at hand to disappear through the relegation trap-door.

Andy Hooper has previewed all the major European leagues this season: