Real Madrid Faces Crisis as Figo Warns La Liga Title Could Slip Away

Real Madrid have started badly. Luis Figo isn’t hiding from it.

Six points off the top, doubts swirling, and now one of the club’s great icons has stepped forward to say what many in Madrid don’t want to hear: right now, Barcelona look unstoppable.

Figo’s blunt warning

In an interview with Spanish station Marca, the former Ballon d’Or winner and current UEFA adviser didn’t sugar-coat Barcelona’s blistering opening to the campaign. Seven games, seven wins. Twenty-one points from 21. Thirty-one goals scored.

“They have started very strongly. They are winning, playing well and scoring goals. For Spanish football, this is of course a good thing,” Figo said.

Then came the line that will sting in the Spanish capital. He warned that if this pace continues, La Liga could effectively be decided long before spring: the title race might not even reach May.

Yet he stopped short of declaring it over. The season, he reminded, is a marathon, not a sprint.

“We have to wait and see how the season develops, because it is very long,” he added, leaving the door open for a twist.

Faith in Madrid’s response

For all his admiration of Barcelona’s form, Figo didn’t abandon the club he joined in that seismic summer of 2000.

“I am sure Real Madrid will compete until the end,” he insisted.

This wasn’t blind loyalty, but a reminder of what it takes to survive a title race in Spain.

“This is a competition that requires consistency until the month of May. There will be ups and downs during the season, and when they happen the team must show the maturity and quality to overcome them.”

Madrid have already hit one of those “downs”. The 2-0 defeat to Atletico in Sunday’s derby deepened the sense of crisis. Figo, though, revealed he hadn’t watched it — he was in Zurich at the time — and refused to be drawn into the post-match storm.

Silence on Mourinho’s fury

Jose Mourinho’s comments about the refereeing after that derby lit up the airwaves. Figo chose not to pour fuel on the fire.

“He did what he thought he would do at that moment. I do not have to comment on it. I think these are personal acts, and if he did it, it was because he felt that way,” he said, distancing himself from the controversy without criticising his compatriot.

No defence, no condemnation. Just a cool step back from the touchline drama.

Ballon d’Or talk and a nod to Mbappé

When the conversation turned to the Ballon d’Or, with voting set to close next Monday, Figo removed himself from the debate.

“I do not vote, so this is not on my mind. Those who make the decision are the ones who vote and we have to wait,” he said, refusing to play the prediction game.

He did, though, reserve special praise for Kylian Mbappé.

“He is always at a very high level. He has got us used to being one of the best players in the world and to scoring goals.”

Admiration for Barcelona’s start. Confidence in a Real Madrid reaction. Respectful distance from Mourinho’s outburst. And a reminder that Mbappé remains one of the sport’s defining forces.

The table already looks uncomfortable for Madrid. The question now is simple: can they turn Figo’s faith into a real title fight before Barcelona disappear over the horizon?