Luis Figo rejects: He has not had a romantic relationship with... Pep Guardiola.

"Guardiola was a good friend, and he helped me a lot," says portugiseren.

Yes, there has evidently existed as persistent rumors about a relationship between the two iberian fodboldgiganter, that the tray Icon, according to Marca, simply have asked for it.

"He was my teammate, but it didn't happen more. I like women," says Luis Figo.

He was met by not only Pep Guardiola (and other teammates) in Barcelona, when they played together in the Catalan team in the last half of the 1990s.

Luis Figo also met Swedish Helen Svedin in the same period, and they are, indeed, still married today and have three daughters together.

today there are no openly gay players in the Spanish La Liga, and it comes as no surprise to the Portuguese legend, who in 2000 made the forbidden switch from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid.

"Football can be very cruel too," he says:

"You play every Sunday, and you will be criticised for it (to be gay, red) and not for its performance."

Luis Figo believes, therefore, that it's not is because of the shame' that the players choose to keep any homosexuality hidden, but the players will do 'to protect themselves'.

While Luis Figo has more or less stayed out of the footballing limelight (except for a brief candidacy for the post as FIFA president), has Pep Guardiola after the active career of the degree taken the stage as a trainer.

He coach FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and stands today at the head of Manchester City.