2 October 1999
The Blaugranas were transitioning between eras and were struggling to compete at their previous high level. Things grew worse when their starting centre back was injured out of the match. Out of options, the Manager Louis Van Gaal substituted in the 22-year-old right back from Barca B, Carles Puyol Saforcada.
Carles Puyol, a housemate of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and Victor Valdes, was unlike any other La Masia graduate. There was no noise around this seemingly ordinary boy. He did not have the technical abilities and comprehension that his peers did. And unlike the other academy players, he did not debut as a teenager but played his first match at 22, only because the manager had no other choice. Carles Puyol fought his way into the club that he loved so dearly. And every culé was forever grateful to him for that glorious fight.
During the 80s and 90s, most wonderkids were admitted to La Masia around the age of 10. Yet, at 17, Carles Puyol was playing for a random club in the third division of his regional league. In a match like any other, a Barcelona scout came to watch but ended up laughing at the sorry state of the quality of players on the pitch.
Soon after, Puyol was offered a trial at Zaragoza. However, he refused. Carles Puyol, born and raised as a Catalan and culé, was fiercely loyal. At the age of 17, he declared, 'If not FC Barcelona, I would rather work at the farm where my father works. If not Barcelona, then nothing else.'
A glimmer of hope arrived when he got the opportunity to train at La Masia for a day. As he was leaving for La Masia, his father only said one thing to him.
"If you come back and they haven't selected you because they had 20 better players than you, no problem.
But if they don't select you because they had 20 guys harder and more determined than you, don't come back home."
The Barca personnel did not see anything extraordinary in the 17-year-old. Yet, they did not have the heart to refuse the boy who worked himself to the ground. So, they asked him to come train for another day. And then, another, and another, and…
Finally, the experienced scouts and coaches caved in to the fire in the eyes of the boy. 30 days after his first trial, Carles Puyol joined La Masia. The struggle, however, did not end.
Barcelona was relying less and less on its academy under the current president. Puyol saw no path to the first team in sight. After 2 years with Barca B, when Louis Van Gaal talked to him for the first time, he just asked, "What's your problem, can't you afford the money for a haircut?"
Puyol did not respond to the manager's taunt. What if he was not as graceful as his friend, Andres? What if he was not as talented as Xavi? He bled Blaugrana, and he belonged here. So, when Barcelona accepted a transfer to Malaga for Puyol, he outright rejected. Carles Puyol chose to fight for a place in his club.
For 4 years, Puyol played as a right back with the B team. Not once did he find hope of debuting for the first team. Even when he got his first minutes for Barca, they were as a central defender replacing the injured starter. Not once did Carles Puyol complain. When he did get his opportunity, he held on and never let go.
After debuting, Carles Puyol quickly established himself as a cornerstone of Barcelona's defense. He even got to debut for the Spanish National team soon after. Just as things started looking up, Puyol injured his knee and had to undergo an operation on it. After time out, he came back without a halt in his steps and won the 'Young Player of the Year' award. Unfortunately, for six years after his debut, Barca did not win a single trophy, their longest drought in nearly 70 years.
Amidst this struggle, Carles Puyol continued to shine and endeared himself to the culés. One of his many memorable moments during this time came in a match against Lokomotiv. Victor Valdes was beaten, and the striker was in on an open goal, with just Puyol in between. The shot was struck, and the Lokomotiv players were off to celebrate.
Then came Carles Puyol, arms by his side, diving into the path of the rocketing ball and blocking it with his chest. Fittingly, the ball struck Puyol right where the Barca badge was stitched on. As Puyol was slapping the badge on his chest to indicate to the referee where the ball had hit, the culés in the stadium and behind the screen had found their Lionheart.
In 2004, Carles Puyol succeeded the retiring Luis Enrique as the Barcelona captain. In his first year, he led the team to end their trophy drought with a League trophy. Puyol and his team never looked back after that. In the second season, Barca won the coveted Champions League, on the path to which their captain made yet another clearance, risking his body against AC Milan.
By 2008, FC Barcelona had won 7 major trophies under Carles Puyol. However, this was a precursor to even higher accolades to follow. In 2009, FC Barcelona won the first sextuple in history. Puyol captained a Barcelona that would go down in history as one of the greatest teams of all time. In 2011, while he did not play as regularly due to injuries, he contributed to Barca's LaLiga and Champions League wins.
After Barcelona won the 2011 Champions League, Carles Puyol's actions became the storied tale of a selfless and kind captain. Rather than lifting the trophy himself, he gave the captain's armband to Eric Abidal, who had returned after battling cancer. Had Puyol lifted the trophy, he would've gone past Paulo Maldini to become the most successful captain of all time. Carles Puyol did not care. Years later, out of all the highs in his career, he would consider this moment to be his greatest moment in football.
In the national team, Puyol led the defensive line of the most successful Spanish team in history. In 2008, Spain won the Euros and, in 2010, they won the World Cup. Through these tournaments, Spain was never prolific in front of the goal. Instead, they relied on a tight defense to win every match. Not only were Puyol's defensive contributions key to Spain's WC win, but he scored the breakthrough goal in the semifinal against Germany.
Unfortunately, Puyol struggled with injuries throughout his career. Every game, running his heart out, sacrificing himself, and risking his body, everything took its toll. Over the course of his career, he suffered through 36 injuries, 4 of which required knee surgeries.
Carles Puyol finished his career as he began his career, only with his Barcelona in mind. Unable to consistently play with his injuries, Puyol refused to receive his club's money without playing. He terminated his contract, called a conference, and announced his retirement. He then walked away quietly. Carles Puyol, Barcelona's Guardian Angel, finally rested after fighting for so long.