 Puyol in action for Barcelona | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carles Puyol i Saforcada | ||
| Date of birth | 13 April 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | La Pobla de Segur, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Barcelona | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–1995 | Pobla de Segur | ||
| 1995–1996 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–1997 | Barcelona C | ||
| 1997–2000 | Barcelona B | 89 | (6) |
| 1999– | Barcelona | 357 | (8) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1995 | Spain U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2000 | Spain U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2000 | Spain U23 | 5 | (0) |
| 2000– | Spain | 98 | (3) |
| 2001– | Catalonia | 5 | (0) |
Carles Puyol i Saforcada (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈkarɫəs puˈjɔɫ]; born 13 April 1978) is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team. Mainly a central defender, he can also play on either flank, especially as a right back.[1]
He served as a longtime team captain for his only club FC Barcelona after taking over from Luis Enrique in August 2004, going on to appear in more than 500 official games for the team and win 18 major titles, notably five La Liga and three UEFA Champions League championships.
A Spanish international on more than 100 occasions, Puyol was part of the squads that won the Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup tournaments.
Club career
started playing football for his hometown club, as a goalkeeper. However, after injury problems with his shoulder, he switched to striker. He said that in his youth, "My parents were skeptical about me becoming a footballer and encouraged me to study."[2] In 1995, he joined FC Barcelona's youth system at La Masia, switching positions again, to play as a defensive midfielder; two years later, he started playing for the club's B-team, occupying the position of right back.
In 1999, then-coach Louis van Gaal promoted Puyol to the first team. He made his La Liga debut on 2 October at Real Valladolid, in a 2–0 win. After that, he successfully made another conversion, now to central defender. During the 2003 off-season, as Barcelona was immersed in a financial crisis, Manchester United showed interest in acquiring Puyol's services,[3] but no move ever materialized; two years later, the player extended his contract for
Puyol was named club captain at the end of the 2003–04 season, after the retirement of Luis Enrique. He continued to be a defensive cornerstone for Barça, being awarded the "Best European right back" award by UEFA in 2002 (amongst other individual accolades), and helping the Catalans win two consecutive league titles. In 2005–06, he appeared in a total of 52 official games, including 12 in the season's UEFA Champions League, which ended in conquest against Arsenal, the club's second.
Puyol struggled again with injury in the 2010–11 season,[7][8][9] but still appeared in 28 official games for Barcelona, which again won the league and the Champions League. He played five minutes in the final of the latter competition, a 3–1 win against Manchester United.
International career
Puyol won his first cap for Spain on 15 November 2000 against the Netherlands, and remained a regular fixture in the following years. He played for the nation at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.At Euro 2008, Puyol started throughout the vast majority of the competition, as the defensive backline only conceded two goals in five games, with an eventual final win against Germany. He was named in the Team of the Tournament alongside defensive partner Carlos Marchena, of Valencia CF. He started in three out of five at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and captained the team when Iker Casillas was rested for the last group stage match; as Spain finished third, he and four other teammates were named in the Team of the Tournament.
At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Puyol started every match and played almost every minute (he was substituted by Marchena in the 84th minute of the quarter-final against Paraguay[11]). He scored the only goal in the semifinal against Germany with a powerful header from a corner taken by Barcelona teammate Xavi, sending the national team through to their first World Cup final,[12] and scoring his third international goal in 89 matches; in the final, he played the full 120 minutes, as Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0.
On 1 August 2010, 32-year Puyol announced that he would continue to play for the national team for at least another two years.
Playing style
Puyol is known for his intense commitment and ruggedness as a defender. According to Barcelona's head doctor, Puyol is "the strongest, who has the quickest reactions, and who has the most explosive strength."[14] Club fans refer to him as "The Wall".[15] Miguel Ángel Nadal, who played with him for a short period of time, said, "Carles plays with maturity, has great positional sense, and above all, has pride in his shirt."[14]Puyol is also known for his leadership and work ethic. He often continues training alone after the end of a team practice session or on days off.[10] He said in 2010, "I don't have Romário's technique, [Marc] Overmars' pace or [Patrick] Kluivert's strength. But I work harder than the others. I'm like the student who is not as clever, but revises for his exams and does OK in the end."[14] He is often described as the heart of the Barcelona team.
Fellow defender Gerard Piqué said: "He's someone who, even if you're winning 3–0 and there's a few seconds left in the game will shout at the top of his voice at you if he thinks your concentration is going."[16] A former team-mate said, "Even four goals down he thinks we can still win",[10] and another described him as "a pain in the arse" but added "that's exactly what we need".[10]
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