Luis Figo Praises Barcelona's Strong Start but Cautions LaLiga Race is Not Over

Barcelona have opened the season like a team in a hurry. Seven games, seven wins, 31 goals, and a six‑point cushion over Real Madrid. Hansi Flick has not just steadied the ship; he has sent it flying out of the harbour.

The numbers are brutal. Twenty-one points from a possible 21, top of LaLiga, and an attack that has ripped through opponents with a freedom Camp Nou has not seen in years. It has been convincing enough to draw admiration from one of the most emblematic figures in Madrid’s modern history.

Figo’s reluctant nod towards Barcelona

Luis Figo does not hand out compliments to Barcelona lightly. The former winger, now a UEFA adviser and forever associated with his controversial switch from Barça to Real Madrid, knows exactly what it means when he praises the Catalans.

Speaking to Radio MARCA, Figo admitted he has been impressed by what he has seen from Flick’s side.

“They have started very strong. They're winning, they're playing very well, they're scoring goals,” he said, summing up a start that has looked as ruthless as it has stylish.

Coming from a man with such deep roots in the Bernabéu, that acknowledgement carries weight. It is a recognition that, for now at least, Barcelona have set the standard in Spain.

Yet Figo quickly applied the brakes.

A long road to May

The Portuguese great was keen to drag the conversation away from early-season euphoria and back towards the grind of a full campaign.

“You have to see how the season goes, which is very long,” he warned, before widening the lens to the bigger picture. For him, this Barcelona surge is not just a club story; it is a boost for the league itself. “For Spanish football, logically, it is good.”

A dominant, entertaining Barcelona, a wounded but dangerous Real Madrid, and a title race with genuine tension – for LaLiga, this is the ideal script.

And Figo is not writing Madrid out of it. Not even close.

“Madrid will compete until the end”

Despite the six-point gap, Figo sounded utterly unconcerned about Real Madrid’s ability to respond.

“Surely Madrid will compete until the end. This is a competition that has to be regular until May. There will be highs and lows during the season,” he insisted.

The message was clear: titles are not decided in September. They are decided in how teams ride out the inevitable storms.

“When there are lows you have to have the maturity and also the quality to overcome them and move on,” he added.

Those words could easily double as a warning to Barcelona. Flick’s side have not yet hit a real crisis point in this campaign. When that moment comes – and it always does – their response will define whether this blistering start becomes a title march or just an early flourish.

Ballon d’Or talk – and a familiar name

Away from the league table, Figo also touched on the Ballon d’Or, with voting set to close on Monday. On that front, he refused to plant a flag behind any one candidate.

“Who has the power to decide is the one who votes. You have to wait to see what happens. I don't vote, so I don't have that problem in my head,” he said, dodging the usual partisan debate.

One name did slip into the conversation: Kylian Mbappé.

“He is always at a very high level. He's one of the best in the world, to score goals,” Figo concluded, a simple, sharp assessment of a forward who continues to shape every major award discussion.

Even so, the current trend around the Ballon d’Or race has a distinctly blaugrana flavour. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona’s teenage sensation, is leading the public conversation, with his teammate Rodri and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane also heavily in the mix.

Barcelona on top of LaLiga. Barcelona names dominating the Ballon d’Or chatter. Madrid already chasing.

If this is how the season opens, what will the run-in look like when May finally arrives?