Carles Puyol: The Story Behind The Perfect Barcelona Captain

#2 Fierce Loyalty to Barcelona

Not only was Carles Puyol one of Barcelona’s greatest players, he was also one of the most loyal players. Loyalty to a club is a fleeting attribute in modern football and players want to play for the best teams in the world to win trophies. While some leave due to wages, and some leave for furthering their career, it is becoming increasingly rare for a player to stay loyal to a single club.

Puyol was different, even though the Barca board at that time was bringing in new players, and not paying attention to the academy, the player stayed on. Even at the age of 20, the player was stuck in the B team but he still did not lose faith. It was his dream to play for the Catalans and he did not want to leave the club.

Malaga even tried to sign the youngster in 1998, but the player rejected it as he saw Xavi Hernandez making it into the first team. This gave him confidence and he stayed on at the club, eventually making his debut in 1999. Although he made his debut when he was 21, he did not win his first major trophy till the age of 27.

During this period of trophy drought, the player wanted to taste some glory and he was pursued by Sir Alex Ferguson as well as AC Milan. Both would be brilliant options for Puyol if he wanted to win trophies, however, for him loyalty was always first. He rejected the two offers and went on to win two major trophies in the 2004/05 season.