Soccer-Portugal's Figo appointed UEFA football advisor

Oct 11 (Reuters) - Former Portugal international Luis Figo has been appointed as a football advisor by UEFA, European soccer's governing body said on Wednesday.

Figo joins fellow former professionals Nadine Kessler and Dejan Stankovic who were appointed advisors earlier this year and will work with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and the Football Division.

The team will deal with technical aspects, laws of the game and the overall attractiveness of the sport. Figo, who was briefly a candidate for president of world soccer body FIFA in 2015, will also be the leading figure of the UEFA ambassadors programme.

"I have been lucky to gain a wealth of experience and I believe I can have a positive influence in passing on my knowledge," Figo, a former World Player of the Year, said in a statement.

"Football is constantly evolving. I am privileged to be involved with UEFA and I would like to thank Aleksander Ceferin for giving me this opportunity," he added.

"When I started playing football professionally in 1990, I could never have imagined that one day I would have the opportunity to join UEFA and work alongside the president of this organisation and some of the best football minds from around the world."

Ceferin said the former Real Madrid and Barcelona player's exemplary conduct on and off the pitch had made him a respected figure within the game.

"I am very pleased he is joining our team. His tremendous football experience will be a very valuable asset to UEFA." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)