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Barcelona defender Carles Puyol (31) celebrated a decade in a Barcelona shirt on Friday, 2nd October. As a tribute to him, we have prepared this special edition of our Factfile series to highlight his achievements and most memorable moments as a Barcelona player, captain and pillar of defence.

1 - Born on 13 April 1978 in La Pobla de Segur, Lleida, Catalonia, Carles Puyol i Saforcada (childhood nickname “Carlito”) came to FC Barcelona in 1995. As a youth player in his hometown club, La Pobla de Cegur, he played occasionally as a goalkeeper and striker (following an unfortunate shoulder injury). With Barcelona, he initially took on a defensive midfield role but later on switched to right- back while playing in Barca’s B team. He was promoted to the first team by then Barcelona manager Louis Van Gaal.

2 – He debuted for the first team against Real Valladolid on October 2, 1999, a game which Barcelona won 2-0. He went on to make 37 appearances in his first season and became a regular starter for the club. It was also Van Gaal who started playing him in central defence.

3 – For five seasons, Puyol played at the highest level without the club winning any major trophy. Frank Rijkaard made him captain with the retirement of Luis Enrique in 2003, and Puyol has since lifted silverware on a regular basis. As Barcelona skipper, he has won three league titles, two Champions Leagues, the Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups.

4 – His two most outstanding moments as a Barcelona player are: the excellent man-marking job he did on Luis Figo when the Portuguese international and former Barcelona player returned for the first time to Camp Nou in 2000 wearing the colours of his new club Real Madrid, and when he saved a goal with his chest after Barcelona’s keeper was beaten in a Champions League match with Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow.

5 – While Puyol has so far played 448 official games with Barcelona, he has rarely been injured in spite of being played nearly every single game. He is widely known for his ability to recover quickly from knocks, and is also widely regarded as the consummate professional, and admired for always looking after himself fitness-wise on and off the field.

6 – Puyol has scored seven times in the past ten years, and his most memorable goal was the header he bulleted past Iker Casillas last season in Barcelona’s monumental 2-6 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.

7 -  In 2002, he was voted the Best Right-Back In Europe by UEFA and in the 2006 season, he was awarded the UEFA Club Defender of the Year . In 2005/06, he also won the UEFA Champions League Defender of the year. He was Spain’s most played defender in the qualification games for the 2006 World Cup.

8 – It is a testament to Puyol’s versatility and his being a great utility player for Barcelona that Guardiola had used him as a right back in the Champions League final, a left back in the Copa del Rey final, and a centre back in most games.

9 – In an interview he gave in 2006, Puyol had stated:  “The fans appreciate that I work my hardest all the time. I need no encouragement because I’ve always been a cule – I’ve never hidden that fact. I am living the dream playing football for Barça and it is my dream to retire playing here. I know someday that I will have to leave and I am not looking forward to that day. I will work hard to realise my dream but if I can’t then I would like to play in another country. I wouldn’t want to play in Spain. I would go to England or Italy -Italy first to play where my hero [Paolo] Maldini is.”

10 - Personality trivia:  His footballing idols are Luis Enrique and Paolo Maldini. Apart from the fact that his father tragically died in a work related accident, not much is known about his family life.  He is a member of the Fundacion Altarriba, a Spanish animal protection group. He likes coffee and water, and listens to death metal music. He considers Real Madrid’s captain Raul Gonzalez as one of his close friends.

HONOURS

FC Barcelona

2009-10 / Supercopa de Europa
2009-10 / Supercopa de España
2008-09 / Champions League
2008-09 / Copa del Rey
2008-09 / Liga
2006-07 / Supercopa de España
2005-06 / Champions League
2005-06 / Liga
2005-06 / Supercopa de España
2004-05 / Liga

Spain

2008 / European Championships
2000 / Silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000

Individual

Don Balón Award for Breakthrough player of the year – 2001
UEFA Team of the Year – 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008
UEFA Club Best Defender – 2006
FIFPro World XI – 2007, 2008
UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament
FIFA Team of the Year – 2008
FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament – 2009

Victor Valdes, on Puyol: “He is a person who cares and works hard on a daily basis with the squad. He is an exemplary captain in this respect. We have lived through times that have not been as good as they are now, but he has always been there to support his team-mates and is always trying to raise their morale. He is an example when it comes to diet and fitness because he takes care of the details of looking after himself. He has some very good habits and despite being 31 he never has to lower his level of play.”

Pep Guardiola, on Puyol: “In the world of sport, it is often difficult to have such continuity that he has had. He started off well and in training he is incredible. He has not stopped growing and now has the stability and experience that his years at the top of given him. The club wants him to stay and I hope that a new deal can be sorted as soon as possible.”