Carles Puyol

Carles Puyol i Saforcada (; 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.; BBC Sport, 25 May 2004 He also served as a longtime team captain for his only club 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 15 major titles, notably five La Liga and three UEFA Champions League championships.

A Spanish international on nearly 100 occasions, Puyol was part of the squads that won the Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup tournaments.

Club career

Born in La Pobla de Segur, Lleida, Catalonia, Puyol 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." 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...
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