Carles Puyolthe legendary former captain of Barça and a prominent figure in the world of football, participated in the XAP Constant Paddle Solidarity Tournament, which takes place from November 6 to 12 at the Junior FC of Sant Cugat del Vallès in Barcelona. This tournament aims to raise funds for childhood cancer research, in collaboration with the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital. During a press conference promoting the event, Puyol was asked about the current situation of LaLiga. In this context, the former player praised the performance of Vinícius Juniorbut also offered him advice to focus more on football and gain the support of his colleagues.
The emblematic Barça icon was questioned about the attitude of Real Madrid forward Vinícius on the field of play, especially after an incident in which the Brazilian challenged the Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper to resolve their differences off the field during matchday 11. of the league. In response, Puyol praised the Brazilian’s skills, but suggested that if he modified his attitude, he could gain greater recognition.
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“He is a great player who makes a difference and who should be admired in all fields, but I would like to talk to him and tell him what I think, what I feel, if that happens I will tell you. Would you talk to him as an educator? He would speak as a teammate, he is a great footballer and if he changed something about his attitude he would have more recognition. Football is a sport of emotions and sometimes it is not easy to manage them“said Carles.
Furthermore, the former defender commented on the situation at FC Barcelona and how the defeat in the Clásico could have had an impact. He emphasized that in football it is not possible to win constantly and stressed that Real Madrid cannot be given advantages at any time: “In the Classic there were 60 good minutes and 30 bad ones, and of course, if you let Madrid grow it doesn’t forgive. It hurt to lose, if it had been won or tied there wouldn’t have been so much commotion”.
Even though the Blaugranas achieved a crucial recent victory against Real Sociedad, Carles offered constructive criticism and asked for patience from the coaching staff: “The team was united until the end and played a very difficult game. The result does not have to prevent the game from being analyzed and for that Xavi and his staff are aware and surely they are doing it because they know what they have to improve.”.
Finally, he also expressed his calm when questioned about the ‘Negreira case’, considering that Puyol was one of the players on the team during the period in which the club paid the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees. He stated that, from his internal perspective, he never perceived that the referees favored them: “At no time did I notice favorable treatment from the referees, quite the opposite. I never had the feeling that they helped us”.
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How many seasons was Puyol at Barcelona?
Carles Puyol made his debut as a soccer player at the age of 17. The Spaniard played his first game with the FC Barcelona first team on October 2, 1999 against Valladolid in Spain. His commitment and dedication led coach Frank Rijkaard to name him captain of the squad in the 2004-2005 season. In this way, the defender wore the leader’s ribbon for a continuous period of 10 years.
On June 30, 2014, Puyol said goodbye to the club that had been his home for 19 years, after having represented the first team for 15 seasons. Throughout his career as a footballer, Carles achieved two Club World Cup titles, three UEFA Champions League titles, two European Super Cups, two Copas del Rey and six LaLiga championships, according to information provided by the blaugrana club.
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