Carles Puyol is one of the greatest defenders to have graced the beautiful game. The Barcelona legend has won several honours during his long career that spanned nearly 16 years. He was a one-club man and an inspiration to his teammates.
The players has won several titles with Barcelona. He has in his trophy cabinet 6 La Liga titles, 3 Champions Leagues, and 2 FIFA Club World Cups. He also won the FIFA World Cup with Spain as well as the Euros.
Here are 10 facts you probably didn’t know about him
10) He paid for his friend’s medical treatment
Puyol has always been a gentle giant and he has been a brilliant character on and off the field. His professionalism is admired by many but he also a very caring and giving person. In 2011, his teammate Eric Abidal was diagnosed with cancer that got a lot of media attention.
But there was something that troubled him even more. One of his closest friends who was also a footballer for a small club whose name was Miki Roque was diagnosed with Pelvic cancer the same year.
Puyol was recovering from a knee injury at the time and paid €30,000 for Roque’s treatment. Tragically though the player passed away in 2012 something that Puyol was hurt by. The defender wore a T-shirt in his name during Barcelona’s UCL final against Manchester United while he was being treated that read ‘Anims Mike’.
9) Puyol never went out to night clubs
Barcelona's former captain is a very reserved individual. He was one of the most commanding centre-backs on the pitch but off it, he lived and still lives a quiet life. The defender was never fond of going out to parties and clubbing like his teammates.
He enjoys having a quiet evening at home with his family. When he does go out he only goes to restaurants with his close friends but does not live the extravagant life that some footballers with high pay cheques do.
8) Puyol is a Yoga person
Yoga is one of the most popular forms of spiritual and physical practices in the world. It originated in India and has spread across several countries. You might have thought Puyol will find it difficult to maintain his fitness after retiring but he is an expert at Yoga.
On Instagram, he posted several pictures with himself and his wife doing several Yoga poses together. He was able to lift his spouse into the air with his arms and balanced her legs on it. Now we all know where he gets his calm and composure when he used to play for the Catalans.
7) He is a follower of Tibetian Hinduism
If you want any more proof of how calm Puyol is, look no further. He has a close association with the religious practise of Tibetian Hinduism. The defender revealed in an interview with Sport that he has close relationships with the Tibetian house in Barcelona
This is what he said when asked about his calm and balanced nature – “There are things about the culture and the religion that I like a lot. Besides that I am close with the members of the Tibetan house in Barcelona.”
He has even admitted to finding it difficult to meditate!
6) He defended an opponent who slapped him in the face
Puyol has been the voice of reason several times on the football pitch. He wore the Captain’s armband for Spain and Barcelona and he has justified that role several times in his career. One such occasion took place in 2005.
In a game against Mallorca, one of their defenders Ballesteros was sent off after a rash challenge. While walking off the pitch, Puyol went over to the player to calm him down only to be slapped in the face. Ronaldinho on seeing this rushed over in anger only to be stopped by Puyol himself.
5) He invited Ronaldinho over for a team photo
Ronaldinho was one of the best players of the world. He was at the peak of his powers during his time with Barcelona and helped the club knock Real Madrid of their perch in La Liga. He left the club in 2008 and joined AC Milan.
Two years later he returned to the Camp Nou and received a special ovation from the crowd. But the best moment came just before kick off. In a wonderful gesture, Puyol called the Brazilian over so that he could pose along with his former teammates for the Barcelona team photo.
It shows what a true gentlemen of the game he is.
4) He started his own football agency
Puyol worked as the assistant to Andoni Zubizarreta the sporting director for Barcelona but the latter was fired after which Puyol quit his role. He had an offer to work as the assistant coach at Inter Milan with Roberto Mancini but turned it down.
Instead, he started his own footballing agency with lifelong friend and former team-mate Ivan de la Pena. In an interview with El Pais he said, “Ivan is passionate about football. He loves discovering new talents. He can spend the whole day watching young players – he told me about Neymar and Coutinho when they were both 14 years old and Douglas Costa too.”
3) His parents wanted him to pursue academics
Puyol’s parents initially did not want him to play football but instead wanted him to pursue his studies instead. He said in an interview, “My parents were skeptical about me becoming a footballer and encouraged me to study.”
He started his career as a defender but chose to play as forward after injury problems with his shoulder. He has also played as a goalkeeper and a right-back. Who knows maybe he would have given Messi competition for places at Barcelona!
2) He was Gerard Pique’s guardian angel
Pique and Puyol formed one of the most formidable centre-back partnerships during Guardiola’s era. During that time, they also became very close friends off the pitch as well. When Puyol decided to retire Pique was very sad to see him hang up his boots.
The defender wrote an emotional letter describing his affection for his centre-back partner calling him his ‘Guardian Angel’. The Pique-Puyol friendship will always be a confusing one considering how different the two characters are.
1) Puyol always had long hair and will never cut it!
One of the big mysteries in world football is Puyol’s long hair. Several have pondered on what he does to maintain it so well. But Puyol has apparently had this hair since he was a young boy.
When GQ magazine did an interview with him they didn’t forget to question him on that.”I've had it long since childhood. I said that when I leave football cut it, but as I'm still linked in some way, at the moment it's going to stay that way.”
