Carles Puyol
Personal information
Full name	Carles Puyol i Saforcada
Date of birth	April 13, 1978 (1978-04-13) (age 30)
Place of birth	La Pobla de Segur, Catalonia, Spain
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Centre back/Right Back
Club information
Current club	FC Barcelona
Number	5
Youth clubs
1996–1999	FC Barcelona B
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1999–	FC Barcelona	263 (5)[1]
National team2
2000–	Spain	061 (1)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:35, 6 April 2008 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 16:22, 6 June 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Carles Puyol i Saforcada (born April 13, 1978 in La Pobla de Segur, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain) is a Spanish footballer who is the current team captain of FC Barcelona. He is a regular in the Spanish national team.

Puyol played for Spanish national team at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup and the Euro 2008. He has been capped 58 times, while also playing for the unofficial Catalonia national football team in one friendly. He holds the record for number of caps for Spain national football team as a Catalan player, after breaking Sergi Barjuán's record of 56 caps on 17 October 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Biography

Puyol started playing football in his hometown club, La Pobla de Segur, as a striker after injury problems with his shoulders forced him from his original position of goalkeeper. He went to FC Barcelona B at age 17 in 1996, and in 1999 coach Louis van Gaal promoted him to the first team. His debut occurred on October 2, 1999 against Real Valladolid, a game Barcelona won 0-2. He started in the right-back position, but has since been converted to a central defender. He was awarded "Best European right-back" award by UEFA in 2002.

Puyol was first chosen as the captain of FC Barcelona at the end of 2003-04 season and has also been called upon to captain the Spanish national team.

On May 17 2006, he won the Champions League defender of the year award for that season.

He is currently under contract with Barcelona until June 30, 2010 with a selling clause of €150 million.^{[citation needed]}

All-Time Club Statistics

As of December 12, 2007^[2][3]

Medals and trophies

Olympic medal record
Competitor for  Spain
Men's Football
Silver	2000 Sydney	Team Competition

FC Barcelona

• 2006-07: Spanish Super Cup
• 2005-06: UEFA Champions League
• 2005-06: La Liga
• 2005-06: Spanish Super Cup
• 2004-05: La Liga

Spain

• 2000: Silver medal at Sydney Olympic Games

Personal

• UEFA Team of the Year: 2002, 2005, 2006
• UEFA Club Best Defender: 2006
• FIFPro World XI: 2007

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• He is an honorary member of the Fundación Altarriba, a Spanish animal protection group that cares for abandoned animals.^[5]

References