Carles Puyol (Barcelona/Spain)
Carles Puyol, born on 13 April 1978 is a Spanish former professional footballer who spent his entire career for Barca. He mainly played as a central defender, but he could also play in either full-back position, mostly as a right-back. Praised for his defensive qualities and leadership, he is widely regarded as one of the best defenders and captains in the history of the sport.
Puyol started playing football for his hometown club as a goalkeeper, but after injury problems with his shoulder he switched to forward. He said that in his youth, "My parents were skeptical about me becoming a footballer and encouraged me to study. In 1995, he joined the Catalan club’s youth academy 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 1998, Barcelona accepted an offer from Malaga to sell Puyol. However, he refused to leave after seeing his best friend Xavi made his first-team debut.
Finally he made the A team in 1999. After that he went on to win 21 major titles, including six La Liga trophies and three Champions Leagues. From August 2004 until his retirement in 2014 he was the captain of the club, and appeared in 593 competitive matches. He also won a total of 100 matches for Spain, and was part of the squads that won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. In the 2010 World Cup semi-final, he even scored the winning goal in the semi-final and eventually winning them the World Cup.
Puyol bid farewell to the football world on 15 May 2014. At his retirement he said, “I’ve lived the dream of so many young kids, doing what I most enjoy in life, playing football and training”.
