Away from politics, lets talk Puyol, Yes! Legendary Puyol. There are times that even the men who never admit defeat have to admit defeat. On Tuesday afternoon last week Carles Puyol did something he had never done before: He gave up. But if that was out of character, this was also very Puyol: dignified, honest and to the point, no ceremony, but proud. He spoke for less than two minutes. Fifteen years and over 50,000 minutes of football later, FC Barcelonas captain announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season and take a rest. At last, he lays down his arms. One newspaper calculated that Puyol has suffered 38 injuries in his career. He will be 36 next month. Overcoming the removal of a Bakers cyst this summer has proved harder than he could have imagined, harder too than the surgeons anticipated. Four seasons without a break, operation after operation, a career spent playing flat-out, always pushing, have finally taken their toll. It is not for want of trying but Puyol says he can no longer perform at the level he demands of himself. He has always set his own limits. It would have been easy to keep on and his contract runs to 2016 but that is not his way: Puyol is a competitor. Now he believes he can no longer compete beyond the summer but until then, he will. He left the press room, with a promise to battle on until the bell tolls. Those who know me know that I will not let down my guard and they know that I will continue fighting to the end to try to improve and help the team win titles. They know. Mention Puyol and some images are unavoidable. The towering header that took Spain to the 2010 World Cup final: neck tense, hair flying back then forward, like a whip, sending the ball into the net. A similar goal against Real Madrid in the 6-2 victory at the Bernabéu, Puyol celebrating by removing the captains armband, in Catalan red and yellow, and kissing it. And the moment that seemed to define him and how he played: In 2002 against Lokomotiv Moscow, he dived to save a shot on the goal line with his chest. With his heart, fans said. No one will ever symbolise as much, Andres Iniesta said. Puyol has been probably the least Barcelona of this Barcelona generation, but no one can imagine the place without him. When Xavi Hernández, who defined and defends the style more than anyone else, was asked about players like John Terry and Jamie Carragher, men who represented a different approach to the game, his response was swift: Whoa! Wait! Be careful, he said. Theyre fundamental. Weve got Puyol. No one led like him. Carles Puyol was Barcelonas very own Captain Caveman, playing with his hair in his eyes and his heart on his sleeve, flying round the pitch. Fast, focused, fearless; never, ever letting up. Rough and rugged. Growing up in La Pobla de Segur, makeshift wooden ramps, concrete breezeblocks and a battered BMX meant that he was on first-name terms with staff at the local ER. He played football in goal but got a back problem from diving around madly, never holding back. The impression was sometimes exaggerated -- he is a more technically accomplished player than is often assumed -- but theres always been an element of that to his on-field game, too. With time, he has gained in control, but the essential qualities remained constant. He competed and gave everything, even turning to yoga. He was intense, committed and determined to win. He certainly won. His Spain career ended on 100 games. If he can play seven more club matches between now and June, he will finish on 600 games for Barcelona, only trailing team-mate Xavi Hernández in the clubs history. Puyol has won six league titles, three European Cups, two World Club Cups and two Copa del Reys with Barcelona, as well as the World Cup and the European Championships with Spain. There may yet be more. His attitude and application has been contagious. He made better players of those around him. As Gerard Piqué put it: He wears me out! I remember one day he came back after an injury. In the middle of the game I said, Puyi, Ive missed you so much. He told me to shut the hell up and concentrate. He never stops. One time, the game was stopped, someone was on the stretcher, and he was shouting at me. I said to him: calm down, it’s 4-0 and there are three minutes left. He said: So what? Focus! I know you. I was dying with laughter. Puyol keeps you on your toes at all times.” In 2011, he was captain when Barcelona won the European Cup at Wembley. He quietly passed the armband to Eric Abidal, who had overcome cancer, and sent the Frenchman up to get the trophy instead. When Barcelona recently hammered Rayo Vallecano, the leagues poorest team, and Dani Alves and Neymar started dancing to celebrate a goal, some complained that it was offensive and arrogant. It had happened before at Rayos Vallecas stadium. That day, Puyol sprinted up the pitch and pulled Alves away angrily, demanding he respect his opponent. At the end of the season, Carles Puyol will empty his locker. Someone elses name will be written on a white strip and stuck on the door for the first time in 15 years. But above that name, it will always say Puyol. Sid Lowe.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:32:02 +0000
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