If England want to know about the threat Luis Figo will pose in Eindhoven tonight, they should ask the Portugal striker to roll down his right sock. On the inside of his ankle, Figo has a tattoo - a little devil.

Mischievously, he refuses to explain the origin of the mark, yet its significance should not be underestimated by England. Certainly, he habitually makes life infernally difficult for opponents.

The 27-year- old has such ability that his Barcelona team-mate Rivaldo has declared that had Figo been Brazilian, it would have been him not Rivaldo who would have been named World Footballer of the Year. Figo, the captain and heartbeat of Barcelona, is seen as the man Portugal cannot do without tonight.

He has spent virtually all of his country's preparations in Holland refusing interviews - partly because he won't speculate on his Barcelona future, but mostly because if he'd agreed to them all, he would have had no time left for training.

So when Figo spoke at Portugal's training camp in Ermelo yesterday, everybody listened.

'I don't feel like a star. All I want to do is play better,' he said. 'I want to win the most prestigious things in world football. To do that I have to improve.

'It's nice of Rivaldo to say what he did and I'm glad of the opportunity to play with the guy in the Primera Liga. But there are lots of things I have to work on.

'I need to try to score more. And I have to become clearer in my head. If your mind is open to light and willing to learn, that is the crucial thing.

'I wouldn't say that I dream of winning things like the European Championship, though. I don't dream. I play in the present.'

Just as well, then, that England are catching Figo tonight while he still has areas of his game to work on.

He is one of seven members of the Portugal squad to have won the World Youth Championship - the country triumphed in 1989 and 1991 - but that golden generation has grown up without success at the senior level.

If they are to achieve it, it must be here and now and Figo has to set the example. He has become more committed physically since joining Barcelona from Sporting Lisbon five years ago.

He provides the direct approach in a team more noted for the intricacy of its passing and its lack of a cutting edge. His strengths are his technique and confidence.

With Figo marauding down the right, England coach Kevin Keegan knows he simply cannot leave his left back without cover. Arsenal and Chelsea discovered that to their cost in the Champions League in the season just ended.

After leading Barcelona to a stunning 4-2 victory over Arsene Wenger's side at Wembley, it was Figo who scored the crucial away goal at Stamford Bridge which swung the quarter-final tie against Chelsea in the Spanish side's favour.

'Yes, I had success with my club against English sides this season, but that doesn't mean anything now,' said the man who owns a string of Guess clothes shops in Lisbon.

'England are a strong team. They had a difficult journey to the European Championship, but once a team is here, they can achieve anything.

'Everyone talks about David Beckham as a key player, but I also like Paul Scholes and Dennis Wise. Although you can be sure that if you pick out one key player, it will be someone else who hurts you.

'It's really important for Portugal to do well here. It's not easy to win anything in Europe, though. Just look at the history of others.

'It's always being said that Portugal are under-achievers, but England have won nothing for years. Neither have Spain.'

Portugal coach Humberto Coelho also knows the importance of Figo as the wide right midfield man in a 4-2-3-1 formation - especially with main striker Sa Pinto almost certain to be ruled out because of the twisted right knee he suffered in Friday's training session. Nuno Gomes will come into the side if, as expected, the Real Sociedad forward fails an early fitness test this morning.

Goalkeeper and captain Vitor Baia will definitely play in spite of reservations about his ability to kick with the right leg on which he had surgery in January.

While Coelho confirmed that Parma midfielder Paulo Sousa will miss today's game, he dismissed recent history of matches between England and Portugal as irrelevant.

'We may have won only one match in the last 13 games against England but that was in the 1986 World Cup - the last competitive game, so I'm not worried,' said Coelho.

'We've been working hard at improving our consistency and I think we're now capable of beating anyone, anywhere.

'Our system will be the same as in this month's game against Wales which we won 3-1 although injuries mean that the players may be different.

'It's extremely important that we win this game. Look at Belgium. They won. They have three points. In a short series of games like this, it's fundamental to get a victory.'