In this 

Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Puyol and the second or maternal family name
is Saforcada.

Carles Puyol

Puyol at the 2020 Goya Awards

Personal information

Full name Carles Puyol Saforcada[1]

Date of birth 13 April 1978 (age 44)[2]

Place of birth La Pobla de Segur, Spain

Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]

Position(s) Defender

Youth career

1992–1995 Pobla de Segur

1995–1997 Barcelona
 Senior career*

Years Team Apps (Gls)

1996 Barcelona C 1 (0)

1997–1999 Barcelona B 89 (6)

1999–2014 Barcelona 392 (12)

Total 482 (18)

International career

1995 Spain U18 3 (0)

2000 Spain U21 4 (0)

2000 Spain U23 5 (0)

2000–2013 Spain 100 (3)

2001–2013 Catalonia 6 (0)

show

Honours

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Carles Puyol Saforcada (Catalan: [ˈkaɾləs puˈjɔl səfuɾˈkaðə], Spanish: [ˈkaɾles puˈʝol safoɾˈkaða];

born 13 April 1978) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played his entire
career for Barcelona. He mainly played as a central defender, but he could also play in either full-
back position, mostly as a right-back.[4] Praised for his defensive qualities and leadership, he is
widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time. [5][6] Puyol's abilities and prowess on the
field earned him the nickname of "El Tiburón" ('The Shark') by teammates and fans.
He was Barcelona's captain from August 2004 until his retirement in 2014, and appeared in 593
competitive matches for the club. He won 18 major club titles, including six La Liga trophies and
three Champions Leagues.
Puyol won 100 caps 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 scored the only goal of the game against Germany.[7]
Club career[edit]
Born in La Pobla de Segur, Lleida, Catalonia,[8] Puyol started playing football for his hometown club
as a goalkeeper, but after injury problems with his shoulder, he became a forward. He said that in
his youth, "My parents were skeptical about me becoming a footballer and encouraged me to study".
[9]
 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.[10]
In 1998, Barcelona accepted an offer from Málaga to sell Puyol, who was behind Frank de
Boer and Michael Reiziger in the pecking order. However, he refused to leave after seeing his best
friend Xavi make his first-team debut.[11]
Louis van Gaal promoted Puyol to the first team the following year, and he made his La Liga debut
on 2 October 1999 in a 2–0 away win against Real Valladolid. After that he successfully made
another conversion, to central defender. During the 2003 off-season, as Barcelona was immersed in
a financial crisis, Manchester United showed interest in signing Puyol,[12] but no move ever
materialised. Two years later, he extended his contract for a further five seasons. [13]

Puyol (downright) lining up for Barcelona, alongside Ronaldinho, Rafael Márquez, Xavi and Samuel Eto'o

Puyol was named club captain at the end of 2003–04, 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 helped the Catalans win two
consecutive league titles. In 2005–06 he appeared in a total of 52 games, including 12 in that
season's UEFA Champions League which ended in victory against Arsenal, the club's second
European Cup.[14]
On 16 September 2008, Puyol made his 400th appearance for Barcelona in a Champions League
group stage match against Sporting CP.[15] In the league season, despite injury problems, he
appeared in 28 matches and helped them win another league title. His only goal came against Real
Madrid in El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu on 2 May 2009 which finished with a resounding 6–2
win,[16] and he celebrated his goal by kissing his Catalan flag armband in front of the incensed Madrid
fans.[17] He was essential to the team also winning the 2009 Copa del Rey, the 2009 Champions
League, the 2009 UEFA Super Cup and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup to complete an
unprecedented sextuple, appearing in nearly 100 official matches. [9][18]
Puyol as Barcelona captain (wearing his Catalan flag armband) in 2008

On 13 November 2010, Puyol played his 500th game in all competitions for Barcelona in a domestic
league match against Villareal.[19] He struggled again with injuries during the 2010–11 campaign,[20][21]
[22]
 but still appeared in 28 matches, again winning the league and the Champions League. He played
the final six minutes in the Champions League final, a 3–1 victory over Manchester United at
the Wembley Stadium.[23]
After the defeat to Inter Milan in the 2009–10 Champions League semi-final, Puyol played in 56
matches for Barcelona without losing, a run that only ended on 11 January 2012 at Osasuna (2–3
loss).[24] He also scored two goals in the season's Copa del Rey, against Real Madrid and Valencia.[25]
[26]

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, Puyol dislocated his
elbow after landing awkwardly in a corner kick challenge. He was initially expected to be sidelined
for two months[27] but fully recovered in one.[28] On 18 December Barcelona renewed his contract,
extending it until 30 June 2016.[29] In June of the following year he again underwent surgery on his
right knee, his sixth operation as a professional, [30] which led to thoughts of early retirement. [31]
Puyol playing for Barcelona in 2011

On 2 March 2014, Puyol surpassed Migueli to go second in Barça's all-time league appearances

table, behind only Xavi, and scored the third goal in a 4–1 home win against Almería.[32] Two days
later, although he still had two more years in his contract, he announced that he would leave
Barcelona at the end of the season.[33] 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". [34]
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". [35] He 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.[36] He resigned in January 2015, shortly after Zubizarreta was
fired.[37]
In September 2019, Puyol rejected an offer to become Barcelona's sporting director.[38]