Widely regarded as one of the best defenders and captains in the history of the sport, Carles Puyol net worth is a Spanish former professional footballer who played his entire career for Barcelona. He mainly played as a central defender, but he could also play in either full-back position, mostly as a right-back.
He was Barcelona's captain from August 2004 until his retirement in 2014, and appeared in 593 competitive matches for the club. He won 18 major club titles, including six La Liga trophies and three Champions Leagues.
Puyol won 100 caps for Spain, and was part of the squads that won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. In the 2010 World Cup semi-final, he scored the only goal of the game against Germany.
Puyol is regarded as one of the best defenders and captains of all time. Mainly a central defender, he was a versatile player who could also feature on either flank, mostly as a right-back, in particular in the first part of his career. He also initially played as a defensive midfielder in his early career, and had previously even been deployed as goalkeeper and striker in his youth.
Described as a "no–nonsense" player, Puyol was known for his commanding presence in the air despite his modest stature, as well as his ability to read the game, and his intense commitment and ruggedness as a defender, in particular when challenging for the ball. According to Barcelona's head doctor, he was "the strongest, who has the quickest reactions, and who has the most explosive strength." In 2006, Simon Talbot of The Guardian described Puyol as: "Barcelona's very own Captain Caveman, playing football with his heart on his sleeve and his hair in his eyes, throwing himself about the pitch and launching wholeheartedly into kamikaze tackles like a hyperactive, lunatic kid." Club fans referred to him as "The Wall".
Puyol was also known for his leadership and work ethic. He often continued training alone after the end of a team practice session or on days off. Although his positioning, leadership and ability to organise his defence were initially cited as weaknesses early on in his career, he worked to improve on these aspects of his game throughout his time with Barcelona. A physical yet fair player, he was also known for his anticipation, strength, aggression, determination, discipline, intelligence and concentration as a defender, as well as his man-marking skills and ability to organise his defence; he also excelled in one on one situations.
Although Puyol was predominantly known his defensive skills, and albeit not being as talented or naturally gifted as other players who also came out of Barcelona's youth system, he possessed solid technique, and was also known for his composure on the ball as well as his passing ability, despite tending to favour safer or simpler passes rather than riskier ones when playing out from the back. As such, throughout his career, he was often deployed alongside a ball-playing centre-back such as Piqué; together, they formed an effective central-defensive partnership, both with Barcelona and Spain, with the former's physical defending complementing the latter's more elegant playing style.