Real Madrid and Portugal legend Luis Figo is to join Uefa in a wide-ranging football advisory role, Europe’s governing body has announced.

Figo was one of the finest players of his generation and enjoyed a professional career that spanned 19 years, making his Sporting CP bow in 1990 and eventually hanging his boots up while at Inter in 2009.

The former winger represented bitter La Liga rivals Madrid and Barcelona in between and won a host of trophies with both, including four La Liga titles and a single Champions League medal with Madrid in 2002.

Figo has often been linked with governance roles in football since retiring as a player, and even announced his intention to run as a candidate for the Fifa presidency in 2015, before eventually withdrawing due to being uncomfortable with the idea of having ‘absolute power’ in the event of winning the election.

Figo’s football advisory job gives him input around ‘technical aspects of the game, laws of the game and the overall attractiveness of the sport’, as well as making him a Uefa ambassador.

Speaking of his appointment to Uefa, Figo said: ‘I have been lucky to gain a wealth of experience and I believe I can have a positive influence in passing on my knowledge.

‘Football is constantly evolving. I am privileged to be involved with Uefa and I would like to thank Aleksander Ceferin [Uefa president] for giving me this opportunity.

‘I have learned so much from football that I am now really looking forward to giving something back.

Ceferin added: ‘Luis Figo was a fantastic player who was exemplary in the way he conducted himself both on and off the pitch.

‘He is a highly respected figure within the game and I am very pleased he is joining our team. His tremendous football experience will be a very valuable asset to Uefa,’ he said.

-This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za