Captain leaves his ship

Carles Puyol has announced this Tuesday in a press conference that he will be leaving Barcelona at the end of this season, calling time on a career that has spanned three decades and yielded 21 trophies at the Camp Nou.

The player is in agreement with the club to rescind the two seasons that he still has left on his contract and has declared that for now he does not know what he will do after 30th June.

"At the end of the season I will no longer be a Barcelona player", he said before continuing: "I don't know what I'll do after 30th June. I want to stop – I need a rest".

"In agreement with the club, I'll rescind the remaining two years of my contract. In June I'll make a public appearance to say farewell", said the 'Balugrana' captain, who confirmed his commitment to the team for the three months left till the end of this season: "I'm not finishing today. I'll fight until the end of the season so that the team can achieve its targets". Puyol, aged 35, has decided to finally hang up his boots as a Barcelona player due to his recurring physical problems.

"After two operations I don't think it's likely I'll be in top form. My recovery has been more complicated than expected and I need to rest", he added.

As such, Carles Puyol will be drawing a close to a successful and highly acclaimed career with Barcelona. He's has been a part of the Camp Nou for 15 seasons and has become a figurehead for the club and for 'La Masia', as well as the perfect role-model for what a captain should be: the very embodiment of courage, work, effort and honour.


/Marca/