Barcelona captain Carles Puyol, 35, has
announced on Tuesday that he will leave the
club at the end of the season after a decorated
15-year career at the Camp Nou.
Puyol, who did not reveal whether he will continue
playing elsewhere, has been plagued by injuries over
the last couple of seasons and has undergone three
knee operations.
At the end of the season I will leave FC Barcelona.
The club are aware of this and we are in agreement,
he said.
We will rescind the final two years of my contract
that were still to run.
Puyol signed a new deal with the club in January last
year, but admitted in June that he would not stay if
injuries continued to prevent him from playing a
significant part on the field.
And having featured just 10 times this season in all
competitions, he said it was time for a new challenge
in a less physically demanding environment.
me to recover the level I need to be able to continue
here, more than I expected and more than surgeons
said. That is why I have taken this decision.
Puyol didnt reveal where he would go at the end of
the current campaign and insisted he will give
everything in what remains of the season to help
Barca succeed on three fronts.
I am not leaving today, there are still three months
of the season remaining and those that know me
know that I will not give up until the end. I will
continue fighting to help the team improve and
achieve our objectives this season.
I donate know what I will do on June 30. What I do
know is that I will need time to rest. I have had four
years without a break due to the injuries. That is
what I will do and then we will see.
The announcement brings to an end an extraordinary
career in the Barcelona first team that began in 1999.
Puyol is the clubâ second most decorated player of
all-time, behind only teammate Xavi Hernandez,
having made 593 appearances.
After beginning life as a right-back, he was converted
into one of the most successful centre-backs in world
football over the past decade as he won three
Champions Leagues and six La Liga titles with his
boyhood club.
He was also a key part of the Spanish sides that won
the European Championship in 2008 and the
country first World Cup in 2010, memorably
heading home the goal that took his side to the final
in South Africa with a 1-0 win over Germany.
Carles is an example for everyone on and off the
field Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said on
Tuesday.
In total he has represented Spain 100 times with his
last appearance coming in a 3-1 friendly win over
Uruguay in February 2013, making him one of only
eight players to have won a century of caps with La
Roja.
He is a natural leader, a person that when you hear
his name you think of Barcelona, added former
Barca midfielder Thiago Alcantara, now of Bayern
Munich.
In the time I was there he was a reference on an off
the pitch. Everyone knows him and whilst Puyol is in
the world of football, he will be an example for
everyone.
announced on Tuesday that he will leave the
club at the end of the season after a decorated
15-year career at the Camp Nou.
Puyol, who did not reveal whether he will continue
playing elsewhere, has been plagued by injuries over
the last couple of seasons and has undergone three
knee operations.
At the end of the season I will leave FC Barcelona.
The club are aware of this and we are in agreement,
he said.
We will rescind the final two years of my contract
that were still to run.
Puyol signed a new deal with the club in January last
year, but admitted in June that he would not stay if
injuries continued to prevent him from playing a
significant part on the field.
And having featured just 10 times this season in all
competitions, he said it was time for a new challenge
in a less physically demanding environment.
me to recover the level I need to be able to continue
here, more than I expected and more than surgeons
said. That is why I have taken this decision.
Puyol didnt reveal where he would go at the end of
the current campaign and insisted he will give
everything in what remains of the season to help
Barca succeed on three fronts.
I am not leaving today, there are still three months
of the season remaining and those that know me
know that I will not give up until the end. I will
continue fighting to help the team improve and
achieve our objectives this season.
I donate know what I will do on June 30. What I do
know is that I will need time to rest. I have had four
years without a break due to the injuries. That is
what I will do and then we will see.
The announcement brings to an end an extraordinary
career in the Barcelona first team that began in 1999.
Puyol is the clubâ second most decorated player of
all-time, behind only teammate Xavi Hernandez,
having made 593 appearances.
After beginning life as a right-back, he was converted
into one of the most successful centre-backs in world
football over the past decade as he won three
Champions Leagues and six La Liga titles with his
boyhood club.
He was also a key part of the Spanish sides that won
the European Championship in 2008 and the
country first World Cup in 2010, memorably
heading home the goal that took his side to the final
in South Africa with a 1-0 win over Germany.
Carles is an example for everyone on and off the
field Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said on
Tuesday.
In total he has represented Spain 100 times with his
last appearance coming in a 3-1 friendly win over
Uruguay in February 2013, making him one of only
eight players to have won a century of caps with La
Roja.
He is a natural leader, a person that when you hear
his name you think of Barcelona, added former
Barca midfielder Thiago Alcantara, now of Bayern
Munich.
In the time I was there he was a reference on an off
the pitch. Everyone knows him and whilst Puyol is in
the world of football, he will be an example for
everyone.
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