Real Madrid’s Portuguese midifielder Luis Figo has announced he is quitting international football after next summer’s Euro 2004 tournament in Portugal. “I plan to leave the national team after the European Championship,” Figo said in an interview with the Sports channel SPORTTV. The FIFA world player-of-the-year in 2001, who has a contract with Real Madrid until 2006, has played 97 times for his country and should earn his 100th cap in a friendly early next year before the tournament starts. Figo turns 31 next month but gave no specific reasons for his international retirement and declined to make any predictions about his club career. “Playing in England was always a childhood dream, but that doesn’t mean it’ll happen, because I am under contract at Real Madrid until 2006,” he said. Europe’s Big Boys play on Wednesday night It’s Matchday Three at the UEFA Champions League and after Groups A, B, C and D play their third matches on Tuesday night, it’ll be the turn for Groups E, F, G and H which includes some of the biggest names in European soccer. Holders AC Milan, former champions Real Madrid and English Premier League champions Manchester United all hit the turf in their bid surge ahead. Here’s a look at the whole schedule and how the combatants stack up against each other. GROUP E VfB STUTTGART (2) v PANATHINAIKOS (4) Stuttgart are on a high since their 2-1 win over Manchester United on Matchday Two, while Panathinaikos’ defence problems have compounded with injuries to Kyrgiakos and Henriksen and a suspension for Goumas. GLASGOW RANGERS (1) v MAN UNITED (3) Man U have had an up-and-down season so far but will be encouraged by the return of Ryan Giggs, though Fortune will be out. Glasgow will also go into the crunch match without Dutch hero Ronald de Boer. GROUP F OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE (2) v FC PORTO (3) Marseille’s fortunes have remained as fluctuating; they lost 4-1 to Strasbourg over the weekend. Porto will, however, take heart from their super first half against Real Madrid on Matchday Two. REAL MADRID (1) v PARTIZAN BELGRADE (4) Madrid will remain favourites, especially with Beckham back after an injury-laden layoff, but that would mean no Solari. Partizan coach Lothar Matthaeus will hope they come out of it with their dignity intact. GROUP G LAZIO (1) VS CHELASEA (3) Chelsea’s high-profile signings haven’t worked so far and the 2-1 reversal against Arsenal in the EPL would have dented their pride even more. Lazio, with their typical Italian grit, could make it even worse for Chelsea. SPARTA PRAGUE (4) v BESIKTAS (2) Two teams with a host of injury problems. But from Sparta’s point of view, Karel Poborsky’s fine and he could well make the difference against a Besiktas side no one thought would do so well. GROUP H AJAX AMSTERDAM (2) v CELTA VIGO (3) Vigo lost their Primera Liga match 2-0 to Real Madrid over the weekend, but from their showings in the two previous matches, there isn’t much to separate the two teams though. AC MILAN (1) v CLUB BRUGES (4) Champions Milan will have to start without Gennaro Gattuso again, but with Rui Costa, Inzaghi and Shevchenko in attack and the legendary defence intact, shouldn’t have too many bothers.
