There is an old joke on the terraces at the Camp Nou: “When Puyol finally dies, he’ll be out for three weeks”. It’s a saying that acknowledges in no small part, the ability of long standing Barca captain Carles Puyol to return from any and every injury he suffered during his 15 year career at the centre of the Blaugrana defence.
In an era when the club are susceptible in defence to say the least, Puyol was more than your average hard hitting defender. Instantly recognisable thanks to his long curly hair and never say die attitude, he epitomised the Catalan spirit, while rather refreshingly also putting his body on the line for Spain too, recently receiving his 100th cap for La Roja. continue...
The 35-year old took the press room yesterday to announce his decision to leave the champions, telling the watching world that he would rest up over the summer before deciding on his next move. Far be it from the man’s nature to do anything tough without a fight, let alone retire. Having not given the word to Vicente Del Bosque that his international career is over, technically the World Cup would still be a possibility, but with this latest announcement, it does seem like he has played his last game for his country.
There have been many super-natural footballers to pull the Barca shirt on over the years. People have questioned how human beings can possess the footballing abilities of the likes of Messi, Romario or Ronaldinho, and few can comprehend it. However, the likes of Carles Puyol are even rarer. He would go to the end of the universe and back for FC Barcelona, once stapling a cut above his eye in order to get back on to earn three more points for his team. The heart of a lion and the pain threshold of a bionic man.
But, the news conference yesterday confirmed that he is, in fact, human, and that naturally all good things come to an end. The injuries, although far from significant time and time again over Puyol’s career, had recently began to have an impact on his ability to play at the highest level. In the past, whenever he would be absent, be it for days, weeks or months, the fact that Puyol would return to strengthen Barca was never up for question. Recently though, in thanks particularly to a troublesome knee problem, this was no longer the case. Puyol, who once again showed that he would do anything for Barca, graciously took the decision to step aside. A sad, but not surprising, day for all Cules, on and off the pitch.
Away from sentiment, this leaves the club with a bit of a problem. Their defensive frailties are well documented, with the club probably relying on Puyol a bit too much over the years. Many people believed that last summer was the perfect time to buy another defender to perhaps replace him, or at least to take the pressure off Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano, a man converted to centre baxk from midfield under Pep Guardiola. Just months before, Barca had been embarrassed in the Champions League by Bayern Munich, losing 7-0 on aggregate, the clearest sign of the need for a re-think at the back. However, instead Sandro Rosell and the club set their sights on bringing in Neymar who, as good a player he is, it could be argued was bought in a battle of one-up-manship with Real Madrid, while his transfer hasn’t exactly run smoothly.
Surely this summer central defenders have to the priority at the Camp Nou, with two probably needed to return to the very top of the footballing world, now that Puyol has announced his departure.
The man himself hasn’t yet said he will retire, though with the tole of his injuries finally becoming apparent, that is a real possibility. A move to the MLS or joining his friend Raul in Qatar are all options.
Carles Puyol is one of a kind. He was willing to die for Barcelona, but with a healthy respect for each and every opponent he faced. In many ways, he is irreplaceble, but that is the task ahead of his soon to be former club in the summer.
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