Juan Figer, the Uruguayan businessman who took Diego Maradona from Barcelona to Napoli, has died

Uruguayan businessman Juan Figer , who has traveled extensively in the world of football as an intermediary in transfers of footballers, died at the age of 87 due to cardiac arrest . This was communicated by his granddaughter Stephanie: “Unfortunately, after a fight, he could not bear a heart attack and passed away today,” he wrote on his social networks.

“This is how I will always remember you. Traveling, eating in a good restaurant and talking about football ”, said the family member who, along with other family members, will continue with the football business from the Figer Group , the entity that Juan founded in 1969.

The largest of the Figers opened the market for South American players in Brazil by placing its center of operations in that country. This was the case of the hiring of Pablo Forlán , Diego’s father, by San Pablo from Peñarol, Montevideo. Beyond their relationship in Uruguay, Juan was the representative who took Diego Maradona from Barcelona to Naples .

“A team that had a lot of appeal in southern Italy, folklore. It was no longer possible for Maradona to stay at Barcelona. If it weren’t for Maradona, I’d take Socrates to Naples. Then I took him to Fiorentina. I have known Maradona since I was 14 years old. And you could already get the idea that he would be a great footballer, ” said the oldest of the Figer in a note that he gave to ESPN Brazil some time ago .

In that same extract, the agent explained that he wanted to take Maradona to Portuguesa, from Brazil , but the president ended up withdrawing from the hiring of the historic number 10 of the Argentine team, which was later sold to Boca Juniors before emigrating to football in Europe .

In addition to working with Uruguayan footballers such as the former captain of the national team Diego Lugano, he did the same with Brazilians such as Dunga, Sócrates, Amoroso, Zé Roberto and Robinho. He worked with dozens of clubs, especially in the Old Continent, and according to his version, the one he operated with the most was with Real Madrid, to which he brought footballers of enormous world fame . Perhaps the most resounding transfer by the end of the story was to have brought Roberto Carlos from Inter Milan to the White House .

“All businesses are complicated. When a player is transferred, other factors intervene such as the family, of humble origin, which participates in the transfer to Europe. It is the lifeline of a very large nucleus of people. The adaptation of the player to another lifestyle, to another training session, to another continent … ”, he said in an interview that was carried out some time ago in the newspaper Marca, from Spain, about the world of player passes.