1. Carles Puyol was Barcelona's captain from August 2004 until his retirement in 2014 and appeared in 593 competitive matches for the club.
30 Facts About Carles Puyol
1. 2.
Carles Puyol won 18 major club titles, including six La Liga trophies and three Champions Leagues.
3.
Carles Puyol won 100 caps for Spain, and was part of the squads that won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
4.
Carles Puyol said that in his youth, "My parents were skeptical about me becoming a footballer and encouraged me to study".
5.
In 1998, Barcelona accepted an offer from Malaga to sell Carles Puyol, who was behind Frank de Boer and Michael Reiziger in the pecking order.
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Carles Puyol continued to be a defensive cornerstone for Barca, being awarded the "Best European right-back" award by UEFA in 2002, and helped the Spaniards win two consecutive league titles.
7.
On 16 September 2008, Carles Puyol made his 400th appearance for Barcelona in a Champions League group stage match against Sporting CP.
8.
On 13 November 2010, Carles Puyol played his 500th game in all competitions for Barcelona in a domestic league match against Villarreal.
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Carles Puyol scored two goals in the season's Copa del Rey, against Real Madrid and Valencia.
10.
On 2 October 2012, in the late stages of a Champions League group stage encounter at Benfica, his first game upon recovering from a knee ligament injury suffered against Getafe, Carles Puyol dislocated his elbow after landing awkwardly in a corner kick challenge.
11.
Carles Puyol was initially expected to be sidelined for two months but fully recovered in one.
12.
Carles Puyol announced his retirement shortly after at the age of 36 but stayed with his only club; he was immediately appointed director of football Andoni Zubizarreta's assistant.
13.
Carles Puyol resigned in January 2015, shortly after Zubizarreta was fired.
14.
In September 2019, Carles Puyol rejected an offer to become Barcelona's sporting director.
15.
Carles Puyol debuted for the Spanish senior squad on 15 November 2000 against the Netherlands, and remained a regular fixture in the following years.
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Carles Puyol played for his country at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004,2006 World Cup, Euro 2008,2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.
17.
Carles Puyol started every game except one at Euro 2008, and Spain's defence only conceded two goals in his five games.
18.
Carles Puyol started in three out of five matches at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and acted as captain when Iker Casillas was rested for the last group stage fixture; they finished third, and he was included in the Team of the Tournament with four of his teammates.
19.
Carles Puyol scored the only goal in the semi-final with Germany, a powerful header from a corner taken by Barcelona teammate Xavi, which sent the national team through to their first World Cup final.
20.
On 1 August 2010, aged 32, Carles Puyol announced that he would continue to represent the national team for at least another two years.
21.
Carles Puyol missed Spain's victorious Euro 2012 campaign due to a knee injury sustained in a league game against Espanyol in early May, which required surgery and five to six weeks' recuperation.
22.
Carles Puyol is regarded as one of the best defenders and captains of all time.
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Carles Puyol initially played as a defensive midfielder in his early career, and had previously even been deployed as goalkeeper and striker in his youth.
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Carles Puyol often continued training alone after the end of a team practice session or on days off.
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Indeed, Miguel Angel Nadal, who played with him for a short period of time, later said, "Carles Puyol plays with maturity, has great positional sense, and above all, has pride in his shirt".
26.
Carles Puyol's long shaggy hair was a distinctive feature throughout his career.
27.
Puyol's father, Josep, died in a farming accident in late 2006 while Carles was on his way to play a match against Deportivo de La Coruna.
28.
Carles Puyol was informed of the news by coach Frank Rijkaard upon landing.
29.
Carles Puyol made me react, and I began to try to be more cheerful, and not overwhelmed by it all.
30.
Carles Puyol was invited by Iranian television channel IRIB TV3 to provide commentary on the 2018 FIFA World Cup match between Iran and Spain on 20 June in a programme hosted by Adel Ferdosipour but was not allowed in the studio.