Known for his defensive qualities and leadership, Puyol earned the nickname of "El Tiburón" ("The Shark") by teammates and fans. He was Barcelona'scaptain from August 2004 until his retirement in 2014 and appeared in 593 competitive matches for the club. He won 18 major club titles, including sixLa Liga trophies and threeChampions Leagues.[4][5]
Born inLa Pobla de Segur,Lleida,Catalonia,[7] Puyol started playing football for his hometown club as agoalkeeper, but after injury problems with his shoulder, he became aforward. He said that in his youth, "My parents were skeptical about me becoming a footballer and encouraged me to study".[8] In 1995, he joinedFC Barcelona's youth system atLa Masia, switching positions again to play as adefensive midfielder. Two years later, he started playing forthe club's B-team, occupying the position ofright-back.[9]
In 1998, Barcelona accepted an offer fromMálaga to sell Puyol, who was behindFrank de Boer andMichael Reiziger in the pecking order. However, he refused to leave after seeing his best friendXavi make his first-team debut.[10]
Louis van Gaal promoted Puyol to the first team the following year, and he made hisLa Liga debut on 2 October 1999 in a 2–0 away win againstReal Valladolid. After that he successfully made another conversion, tocentral defender. During the 2003 off-season, as Barcelona was immersed in a financial crisis,Manchester United showed interest in signing Puyol,[11] but no move ever materialised. Two years later, he extended his contract for a further five seasons.[12]
Puyol was named clubcaptain at the end of2003–04, after the retirement ofLuis Enrique. He continued to be a defensive cornerstone forBarça, being awarded the "Best European right-back" award byUEFA in 2002 (amongst other individual accolades), and helped the Spaniards win two consecutive league titles. In2005–06 he appeared in a total of 52 games, including 12 inthat season'sUEFA Champions League which ended in victory againstArsenal, the club's second European Cup.[13]
Puyol as Barcelona captain (wearing hisCatalan flag armband) in 2008
On 13 November 2010, Puyol played his 500th game in all competitions for Barcelona in a domestic league match againstVillarreal.[18] He struggled again with injuries during the2010–11 campaign,[19][20][21] but still appeared in 28 matches, again winning the league and the Champions League. He played the final six minutes in theChampions League final, a 3–1 victory overManchester United at theWembley Stadium.[22]
On 2 October 2012, in the late stages of aChampions League group stage encounter atBenfica, his first game upon recovering from a knee ligament injury suffered againstGetafe, Puyol dislocated his elbow after landing awkwardly in acorner kick challenge. He was initially expected to be sidelined for two months[26] but fully recovered in one.[27] On 18 December Barcelona renewed his contract, extending it until 30 June 2016.[28] In June of the following year he again underwent surgery on his right knee, his sixth operation as a professional,[29] which led to thoughts of early retirement.[30]
Puyol playing for Barcelona in 2011
On 2 March 2014, Puyol surpassedMigueli to go second inBarça's all-time league appearances table, behind only Xavi, and scored the third goal in a 4–1 home win againstAlmería.[31] Two days later, although he still had two more years in his contract, he announced that he would leave Barcelona at the end ofthe season.[32] He said "After my last two major operations, I find it is taking me a lot of effort to reach the level required here, even more than myself and the surgeons thought necessary. That's the reason I have reached this decision".[33]
Barcelona bid farewell to Puyol on 15 May 2014, after a fifteen-year career in the first team (ten as captain) that brought him 21 titles. At a packed Auditori 1899, his teammates, ex-teammates, presidents and coaches paid tribute to him, and he said "I’ve lived the dream of so many young kids, doing what I most enjoy in life, playing football and training".[34] He announced his retirement shortly after at the age of 36 but stayed with his only club; he was immediately appointeddirector of footballAndoni Zubizarreta's assistant.[35] He resigned in January 2015, shortly after Zubizarreta was fired.[36]
In September 2019, Puyol rejected an offer to become Barcelona'ssporting director.[37]
During the 2002 World Cup, Puyol scored anown goal in the 3–1 victory overParaguay in the group stages.[41] In the round of 16 tie againstIreland, heassistedFernando Morientes; following a 1–1 deadlock after extra-time, his team prevailed following a 3–2penalty shoot-out victory.[42] Spain were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the competition by co-hostsSouth Korea, after a 5–3 shoot-out defeat.[43]
Puyol started every game except one at Euro 2008, and Spain's defence only conceded two goals in his five games. They won thefinal againstGermany, and he was named in theTeam of the Tournament alongside his defensive partner,Carlos Marchena of Valencia.[44] He started in three out of five matches at the2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and acted as captain whenIker Casillas was rested for the last group stage fixture;[45] they finished third, and he was included in theTeam of the Tournament with four of his teammates.[46]
In the 2010 World Cup inSouth Africa, Puyol started every match and played almost every minute (he was replaced by Marchena in the 84th minute of the quarter-final against Paraguay).[47] He scored the only goal in the semi-final with Germany, a powerful header from a corner taken by Barcelona teammateXavi, which sent the national team through to their firstWorld Cup final.[48] In thefinal, he featured for the full 120 minutes as the side defeated the Netherlands 1–0 inextra time.[49] Spain only conceded two goals throughout the tournament – none of which came in the knock-out stages – also keeping fiveclean sheets, a record for a World Cup-winning team, shared with the2006Italy side and1998 championsFrance. He also completed 88% of his passes, the third–highest completion rate of any player in the competition alongside his teammateSergio Busquets, and was named to the team of the tournament for his performances.[50][51]
On 1 August 2010, aged 32, Puyol announced that he would continue to represent the national team for at least another two years.[52] He missed Spain's victoriousEuro 2012 campaign due to a knee injury sustained in a league game againstEspanyol in early May, which required surgery and five to six weeks' recuperation.[53] The following year, he was ruled out of theConfederations Cup, once again due to physical problems.[54]
Puyol played his 100th and final international game on 6 February 2013, captaining Spain to a 3–1friendly victory overUruguay inDoha,Qatar.[55][56]
Puyol is regarded as one of the best defenders and captains of all time.[4][5] Mainly acentral defender, he was a versatile player who could also feature on either flank, mostly as aright-back, in particular in the first part of his career.[58][59][60] He also initially played as adefensive midfielder in his early career,[61] and had previously even been deployed asgoalkeeper andstriker in his youth.[62][63]
Described as a "no–nonsense" player,[61] Puyol was known for his commanding presence in the air despite his modest stature, as well as his ability to read the game, and his intense commitment and ruggedness as a defender, in particular when challenging for the ball. According to Barcelona's head doctor, he was "the strongest, who has the quickest reactions, and who has the most explosive strength".[10][59][64][65] In 2006, Simon Talbot ofThe Guardian described Puyol as: "Barcelona's very ownCaptain Caveman, playing football with his heart on his sleeve and his hair in his eyes, throwing himself about the pitch and launching wholeheartedly into kamikaze tackles like a hyperactive, lunatic kid."[64] Club fans referred to him as "The Wall".[66]
Puyol was also known for his leadership and work ethic. He often continued training alone after the end of a team practice session or on days off.[57] He said in 2010, "I don't haveRomário'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."[10] Although his positioning, leadership and ability to organise his defence were initially cited as weaknesses early on in his career, he worked to improve on these aspects of his game throughout his time with Barcelona.[57][67] Indeed,Miguel Ángel Nadal, who played with him for a short period of time, later said, "Carles plays with maturity, has great positional sense, and above all, has pride in his shirt".[10] A physical yet fair player, he was also known for his anticipation, strength, aggression, determination, discipline, intelligence and concentration as a defender, as well as hisman-marking skills and ability to organise his defence; he also excelled in one on one situations.[61][67][68][69][70][71][72]
Fellow defenderGerard 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."[69] A former team-mate said, "Even four goals down he thinks we can still win",[57] and another described him as "a pain in the arse", but added "that's exactly what we need".[57][59][73]
Although Puyol was predominantly known for his defensive skills, and albeit not being as talented or naturally gifted as other players who also came out of Barcelona's youth system,[10][59][68][69] he possessed solid technique, and was also known for his composure on the ball as well as his passing ability, despite tending to favour safer or simpler passes rather than riskier ones when playing out from the back.[63][74][75][76][77] As such, throughout his career, he was often deployed alongside a ball-playing centre-back such as Piqué; together, they formed an effective central-defensive partnership, both with Barcelona and Spain, with the former's physical defending complementing the latter's more elegant playing style.[69][78][79][80]
In his youth, Puyol was also known to be a quick and energetic right-sided defender, who had a penchant for getting forward as well as chasing down his opponents;[65][68][69][81] however, he lost his pace with age.[68][82] This became particularly noticeable in his later career, when he was usually deployed in the centre, in part due to a series of recurring knee injuries, which limited his playing time and affected his physical condition, eventually forcing him to retire prematurely.[59][83][84][85][86][87][88]
Puyol's long shaggy hair was a distinctive feature throughout his career. Barcelona manager Van Gaal suggested he get it cut when the player was 19, immediately after his first training session with the senior players. Van Gaal asked him in his office, "What's your problem, can't you afford the money for a haircut?". Puyol recalled: "I said nothing, and to this day have kept my hair as it is."[10][89]
In 2006, Puyol said that when not working, he leads "a very quiet life... I've not been to a nightclub inBarcelona for years either. When I go out, I stay in a restaurant with my friends."[8]
Puyol's father, Josep, died in a farming accident in late 2006 while Carles was on his way to play a match againstDeportivo de La Coruña. He was informed of the news by coachFrank Rijkaard upon landing.[90] He said that this, combined with an injury led to a dark period, with Spain national team physio Raúl Martínez eventually coming to Barcelona: in the player's words, "...[he] gave me a great telling off. He made me react, and I began to try to be more cheerful, and not overwhelmed by it all."[91]
In March 2009, Puyol toldGoal.com: "I do not like to go out much, although it is good to disconnect and I like to read."[92] In September 2010, he started a relationship with modelMalena Costa. In October of that year, he scored through a header in a 2–1 home win againstValencia CF and dedicated the goal to her by making a heart symbol with both hands. After the game, he said: "I dedicate the goal to my girlfriend."[93]
In 2011, Puyol paid €30,000 for specialist private treatment forMiki Roqué, a footballer from his home province who was suffering from pelvic cancer. Roqué died in 2012.[94]
Puyol started a relationship withVanesa Lorenzo in 2012. The couple has two daughters, Manuela (born 2014) and María (2016).[95][96]
Puyol was invited by Iranian television channelIRIB TV3 to provide commentary on the2018 FIFA World Cup match between Iran and Spain on 20 June in a programme hosted byAdel Ferdosipour but was not allowed in the studio. According to news websiteEntekhab, the former player said that he had been told by theIslamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that he could not appear in the programme "because of his looks (long hair)"; the veteran channel director had been replaced by one closer to Iran's ultra-religious hardliners weeks before, and this incident ultimately led to some ridicule within Iran onTwitter.[97]
^Polo, Fernando; Poquí, Joan (31 May 2014)."Carles Puyol será el 'segundo' de Zubizarreta" [Carles Puyol to be Zubizarreta's 'second'].Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish).Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved2 June 2014.
^Martín, Luis (9 July 2010).""Sabía que iba a ser gol"" [I knew it was going in].El País (in Spanish).Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved11 December 2019.
^Aldunate, Ramiro (6 February 2013)."Campeón hasta en los simulacros" [Champions even in drills].Marca (in Spanish).Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved6 February 2013.
^Lara, Miguel Ángel (6 February 2013)."100 veces Puyol" [100 times Puyol].Marca (in Spanish).Archived from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved6 February 2013.
^Martín, Luís (15 November 2010)."500 más y lo deja" [500 more and he's through].El País (in Spanish).Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved17 December 2010.
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