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73-442: Led by the cultured midfield maestro Sócrates and by fullback Wladimir , and with the consent of club president Waldemar Pires, the squad players took control over the management of the team Sport Club Corinthians Paulista . Sócrates, together with teammate Wladimir, organised the players to discuss and then vote with a simple show of hands on all matters that affected them, ranging from what time they would eat lunch to challenging

146-540: A corner kick challenge. He was initially expected to be sidelined for two months but fully recovered in one. On 18 December Barcelona renewed his contract, extending it until 30 June 2016. In June of the following year he again underwent surgery on his right knee, his sixth operation as a professional, which led to thoughts of early retirement. On 2 March 2014, Puyol surpassed Migueli to go second in Barça's all-time league appearances table , behind only Xavi, and scored

219-419: A corner kick or other set pieces , centre-backs may move forward to the opponents' penalty area ; if the ball is passed in the air towards a crowd of players near the goal, then the heading ability of a centre-back is useful when trying to score. In this case, other defenders or midfielders will temporarily move into the centre-back positions. There are two main defensive strategies used by defensive lines:

292-499: A goalkeeper , but after injury problems with his shoulder, he became a forward . He said that in his youth, "My parents were skeptical about me becoming a footballer and encouraged me to study". In 1995, he joined FC Barcelona 's youth system at La Masia , switching positions again to play as a defensive midfielder . Two years later, he started playing for the club's B-team , occupying the position of right-back . In 1998, Barcelona accepted an offer from Málaga to sell Puyol, who

365-490: A 2–1 home win against Valencia CF and dedicated the goal to her by making a heart symbol with both hands. After the game, he said: "I dedicate the goal to my girlfriend." In 2011, Puyol paid €30,000 for specialist private treatment for Miki Roqué , a footballer from his home province who was suffering from pelvic cancer. Roqué died in 2012. Puyol started a relationship with Vanesa Lorenzo in 2012. The couple has two daughters, Manuela (born 2014) and María (2016). Puyol

438-479: A 3–1 friendly victory over Uruguay in Doha , Qatar . "Puyol is the key, not just because he is one of the best defenders in the world but because of his character. He never lets up."  — Xavi 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

511-577: A 3–2 penalty shoot-out victory. Spain were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the competition by co-hosts South Korea , after a 5–3 shoot-out defeat. Puyol started every game except one at Euro 2008, and Spain's defence only conceded two goals in his five games. They won the final against Germany , and he was named in the Team of the Tournament alongside his defensive partner, Carlos Marchena of Valencia. He started in three out of five matches at

584-681: A ball-playing central defender in a 3–5–2 or 3–4–3 formation; in addition to their defensive skills, their technique and ball-playing ability allowed them to advance into midfield after winning back possession, and function as a secondary playmaker for their teams. Some goalkeepers, who are comfortable leaving their goalmouth to intercept and clear through balls, and who generally participate more in play, such as René Higuita , Manuel Neuer , Edwin van der Sar , Fabien Barthez , Hugo Lloris , Marc-André ter Stegen , Bernd Leno , Alisson Becker and Ederson , among others, have been referred to as sweeper-keepers . The full-backs (the left-back and

657-581: A contact offer from Fiorentina . Despite the offer, the player was willing to stay in Corinthians if Congress approved the Constitutional Amendment introduced by Dante de Oliveira , which would restore direct elections for President. It did not pass, so the most important leader of Democracy left Corinthians. Its motto was: "Ganhar ou perder, mas sempre com democracia" ("Win or lose, but always with democracy"). The movement had

730-514: 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

803-665: A domestic league match against Villarreal . He struggled again with injuries during the 2010–11 campaign , but still appeared in 28 matches, again winning the league and the Champions League. He played the final six minutes in the Champions League final , a 3–1 victory over Manchester United at the Wembley Stadium . After the defeat to Inter Milan in the 2009–10 Champions League semi-final, Puyol played in 56 matches for Barcelona without losing,

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876-400: A fifteen-year career in the first team (ten as captain) that brought him 21 titles. At a packed Auditori 1899, his teammates, ex-teammates, presidents and coaches paid tribute to him, and he said "I’ve lived the dream of so many young kids, doing what I most enjoy in life, playing football and training". He announced his retirement shortly after at the age of 36 but stayed with his only club; he

949-510: A full-back who was described as a terzino volante (or vagante , as noted at the time by former footballer and Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Renzo De Vecchi ); the latter position was essentially a libero , which was later also used by Viani in his vianema system, and Rocco in his catenaccio system. Though sweepers may be expected to build counter-attacking moves, and as such require better ball control and passing ability than typical centre-backs, their talents are often confined to

1022-454: 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. He said in 2010, "I don't have Romário 's technique, [Marc] Overmars ' pace or [Patrick] Kluivert 's strength. But I work harder than the others. I'm like the student who is not as clever, but revises for his exams and does OK in

1095-515: A nightclub in Barcelona for years either. When I go out, I stay in a restaurant with my friends." Puyol's father, Josep, died in a farming accident in late 2006 while Carles was on his way to play a match against Deportivo de La Coruña . He was informed of the news by coach Frank Rijkaard upon landing. He said that this, combined with an injury led to a dark period, with Spain national team physio Raúl Martínez eventually coming to Barcelona: in

1168-400: A record for a World Cup-winning team, shared with the 2006 Italy side and 1998 champions France . He also completed 88% of his passes, the third–highest completion rate of any player in the competition alongside his teammate Sergio Busquets , and was named to the team of the tournament for his performances. On 1 August 2010, aged 32, Puyol announced that he would continue to represent

1241-404: A run that only ended on 11 January 2012 at Osasuna (2–3 loss). He also scored two goals in the season 's Copa del Rey , against Real Madrid and Valencia . On 2 October 2012, in the late stages of a Champions League group stage encounter at Benfica , his first game upon recovering from a knee ligament injury suffered against Getafe , Puyol dislocated his elbow after landing awkwardly in

1314-490: A sweeper. Prior to Viani, Ottavio Barbieri is also thought by some pundits to have introduced the sweeper role to Italian football during his time as Genoa 's manager. Like Viani, he was influenced by Rappan's verrou , and made several alterations to the English WM system or "sistema", which led to his system being described as mezzosistema . His system used a man-marking back-line, with three man-marking defenders and

1387-467: Is a Spanish former professional footballer who played his entire career for Barcelona . He mainly played as a centre-back , but he could also play in either full-back position, mostly as a right-back. Known for his defensive qualities and leadership, Puyol is regarded as one of the greatest defenders and captains of all time. His abilities and prowess on the field earned him the nickname of " El Tiburón " ("The Shark") by teammates and fans. He

1460-405: Is going." A former team-mate said, "Even four goals down he thinks we can still win", and another described him as "a pain in the arse", but added "that's exactly what we need". Although Puyol was predominantly known for 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

1533-458: Is sometimes referred to as libero , which is Italian for "free". Austrian manager Karl Rappan is thought to be a pioneer of this role, when he incorporated it into his catenaccio or verrou (also "doorbolt/chain" in French) system with Swiss club Servette during the 1930s, deciding to move one player from midfield to a position behind the defensive line, as a "last man" who would protect

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1606-482: Is thought to have been coined by Gianni Brera , originated from the original Italian description for this role libero da impegni di marcatura ( i.e. , "free from man-marking tasks"); it was also known as the "battitore libero" ("free hitter", in Italian, i.e. a player who was given the freedom to intervene after their teammates, if a player had got past the defence, to clear the ball away). In Italian football,

1679-404: The 2000 Olympics , 2002 World Cup , Euro 2004 , 2006 World Cup , Euro 2008 , 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup . During the 2002 World Cup, Puyol scored an own goal in the 3–1 victory over Paraguay in the group stages. In the round of 16 tie against Ireland , he assisted Fernando Morientes ; following a 1–1 deadlock after extra-time, his team prevailed following

1752-484: The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup , and acted as captain when Iker Casillas was rested for the last group stage fixture; they finished third, and he was included in the Team of the Tournament with four of his teammates. In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa , Puyol started every match and played almost every minute (he was replaced by Marchena in the 84th minute of the quarter-final against Paraguay). He scored

1825-591: The Santiago Bernabéu on 2 May 2009 which finished with a resounding 6–2 win, and he celebrated his goal by kissing his Catalan flag captain's armband in front of the incensed Madrid fans. He was essential to the team also winning the 2009 Copa del Rey , the 2009 Champions League , the 2009 UEFA Super Cup and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup to complete an unprecedented sextuple, appearing in nearly 100 official matches. On 13 November 2010, Puyol played his 500th game in all competitions for Barcelona in

1898-505: The concentração , a common practice in Brazil where players were practically locked in a hotel for one or two days before a game. One of the most notable decisions they made was, in 1982, having "Vote on 15th" printed on the back of their shirts to motivate fans to vote in the first Brazilian multiparty election since the 1964 military coup . In those years Corinthians won two Campeonatos Paulistas : 1982 and 1983. In 1984, Sócrates revived

1971-476: The libero is also retroactively thought to have evolved from the centre-half -back role in the English WM system, or sistema, which was known as the centromediano metodista role in Italian football jargon, due to its association with the metodo system; in the metodo system, however, the "metodista" was given both defensive and creative duties, functioning as both a ball–winner and deep-lying playmaker . Juventus manager Felice Borel used Carlo Parola in

2044-529: The libero was usually assigned the number six shirt. One of the first predecessors of the libero role in Italy was used in the so–called " vianema " system, a predecessor to catenaccio , which was used by Salernitana during the 1940s. The system originated from an idea that one of the club's players – Antonio Valese – posed to his manager Giuseppe Viani. Viani altered the English WM system – known as

2117-411: The sistema in Italy – by having his centre-half-back retreat into the defensive line to act as an additional defender and mark an opposing centre-forward, instead leaving his full-back (which, at the time, was similar to the modern centre-back role) free to function as what was essentially a sweeper, creating a 1–3–3–3 formation; he occasionally also used a defender in the centre-forward role, and wearing

2190-447: The sport of association football , a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers, and wing-backs. The centre-back and full-back positions are most common in modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised, often limited to certain formations dependent on

2263-438: The stopper , and a free defender, which was usually known as the sweeper , or libero , whose tasks included sweeping up balls for teammates and also initiating attacks. The sweeper (or libero ) is a more versatile centre-back who "sweeps up" the ball if an opponent manages to breach the defensive line. This position is rather more fluid than that of other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, it

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2336-455: The verrou , his system was not as flexible and was a development of the WM rather than the 2–3–5, but it also featured one of the half-backs dropping deep; this allowed the defensive centre-half to sweep in behind the full-backs. In Italy, the libero position was popularised by Nereo Rocco 's and Helenio Herrera 's use of catenaccio . The current Italian term for this position, libero , which

2409-498: The 2003 off-season, as Barcelona was immersed in a financial crisis, Manchester United showed interest in signing Puyol, but no move ever materialised. Two years later, he extended his contract for a further five seasons. Puyol was named club captain at the end of 2003–04 , after the retirement of Luis Enrique . He continued to be a defensive cornerstone for Barça , being awarded the "Best European right-back" award by UEFA in 2002 (amongst other individual accolades), and helped

2482-657: The Spaniards win two consecutive league titles. In 2005–06 he appeared in a total of 52 games, including 12 in that season 's UEFA Champions League which ended in victory against Arsenal , the club's second European Cup. On 16 September 2008, Puyol made his 400th appearance for Barcelona in a Champions League group stage match against Sporting CP . In the league season , despite injury problems, he appeared in 28 matches and helped them win another league title. His only goal came against Real Madrid in El Clásico at

2555-491: The back-line and start attacks again. As coach of Switzerland in the 1930s and 1940s, Rappan played a defensive sweeper called the verrouilleur , positioned just ahead of the goalkeeper. During his time with Soviet club Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev in the 1940s, Aleksandr Abramov also used a position similar to a sweeper in his defensive tactic known as the Volzhskaya Zashchepka , or the "Volga clip". Unlike

2628-491: The backing of artists and intellectuals, such as senior media creative Washington Olivetto, who coined the term Democracia Corintiana . Eventually, the government reacted, as Brigadier Jerônimo Bastos, head of the Brazilian Sports Confederation (Portuguese: Confederação Brasileira de Desportos ) warned the club for interfering in political affairs. Fullback (association football) In

2701-432: The ball out from the back. Some sweepers move forward into midfield, and distribute the ball up-field, while others intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to hurl themselves into tackles. If the sweeper does move up the field to distribute the ball, they will need to make a speedy recovery and run back into their position. In modern football, its usage has been fairly restricted, with few clubs in

2774-618: The ball out from the back; examples of such pairings have included Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique for Barcelona and Spain , David Luiz , Gary Cahill , John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho with Chelsea , Sergio Ramos , Raphaël Varane or Pepe with Real Madrid , Diego Godín and José María Giménez with Atlético Madrid and Uruguay , Nemanja Vidić and Rio Ferdinand with Manchester United , or Giorgio Chiellini , Leonardo Bonucci , Andrea Barzagli and Medhi Benatia with Juventus . Under normal circumstances, centre-backs are unlikely to score goals. However, when their team takes

2847-686: The ball. Other defenders who have been described as sweepers include Bobby Moore , Daniel Passarella , Franco Baresi , Ronald Koeman , Fernando Hierro , Matthias Sammer , and Aldair , due to their ball skills, vision, and long passing ability. Though it is rarely used in modern football, it remains a highly respected and demanding position. Recent and successful uses of the sweeper include by Otto Rehhagel , Greece 's manager, during UEFA Euro 2004 . Rehhagel utilised Traianos Dellas as Greece's sweeper to great success, as Greece became European champions. For Bayer Leverkusen , Bayern Munich and Inter Milan , Brazilian international Lúcio adopted

2920-457: The biggest leagues using the position. The modern example of this position is most commonly believed to have been pioneered by Franz Beckenbauer , and subsequently Gaetano Scirea , Morten Olsen and Elías Figueroa , although they were not the first players to play this position. Aside from the aforementioned Blason and Picchi, earlier proponents also included Alexandru Apolzan , Velibor Vasović , and Ján Popluhár . Giorgio Mastropasqua

2993-403: The centre-backs during corner kicks and free kicks, when the centre backs usually go forward to attempt to score from headers. That said, full-backs can sometimes score during counterattacks by running in from the wings, often involving one-two passing moves with midfield players. The wing-back is a variation on the full-back, but with a heavier emphasis on attack. Wing-backs are typically some of

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3066-422: The centre-half role, as a player who would drop back into the defence to mark opposing forwards, but also start attacks after winning back possession, in a similar manner to the sweeper, which led to the development of this specialised position. Indeed, Herrera's catenaccio strategy with his Grande Inter side saw him withdraw a player from his team's midfield and instead deploy them further-back in defence as

3139-468: The defensive line, and clearing balls away from the penalty area. Armando Picchi was subsequently also a leading exponent of the more traditional variant of this role in Helenio Herrera's Grande Inter side of the 1960s. The more modern libero possesses the defensive qualities of the typical libero while being able to expose the opposition during counterattacks by carrying or playing

3212-446: The defensive realm. For example, the catenaccio system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s, often employed a predominantly defensive sweeper who mainly "roamed" around the back line; according to Schianchi, Ivano Blason is considered to be the first true libero in Italy, who – under manager Alfredo Foni with Inter and subsequently Nereo Rocco with Padova – would serve as the last man in his team, positioned deep behind

3285-429: The diamond 4–4–2 formation, demand the full-back to cover considerable ground up and down the flank. Some of the responsibilities of modern full-backs include: Due to the physical and technical demands of their playing position, successful full-backs need a wide range of attributes, which make them suited for adaptation to other roles on the pitch. Many of the game's utility players, who can play in multiple positions on

3358-449: The end." 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. Indeed, Miguel Ángel Nadal , who played with him for a short period of time, later said, "Carles plays with maturity, has great positional sense, and above all, has pride in his shirt". A physical yet fair player, he

3431-564: The evolution of the modern game, wing-backs are the combination of wingers and full-backs. As such, this position is one of the most physically demanding in modern football. Successful use of wing-backs is one of the main prerequisites for the 3–5–2 and 5–3–2 formations to function effectively. Wing-backs are often more adventurous than full-backs and are expected to provide width, especially in teams without wingers. A wing-back needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crosses upfield and defend effectively against opponents' attacks down

3504-474: The fastest players on a team, when employed. Wing-backs are typically used in a formation with three centre-backs and are sometimes classified as midfielders instead of defenders. They can, however, be used in formations with only two centre-backs, such as in Jürgen Klopp 's 4–3–3 system that he used at Liverpool , in which the wing-backs play high up the field to compensate for a lack of width in attack. In

3577-404: The field. For example, a clearance is a long unaimed kick intended to move the ball as far as possible from the defender's goal. Due to the many skills centre-backs are required to possess in the modern game, many successful contemporary central-defensive partnerships have involved pairing a more physical defender with a defender who is quicker, more comfortable in possession and capable of playing

3650-400: 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

3723-408: The flanks, and the position became increasingly specialised for dynamic players who could fulfil that role as opposed to the central defenders who remained fairly static and commonly relied on strength, height and positioning. In the modern game, full-backs have taken on a more attacking role than was the case traditionally, often overlapping with wingers down the flank. Wingerless formations, such as

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3796-877: The flanks. A defensive midfielder may be fielded to cover the advances of wing-backs. It can also be occupied by wingers and side midfielders in a three centre-back formation, as seen by ex- Chelsea , ex- Inter Milan , and ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte . Examples of players who could and did play as wing-backs were AC Milan teammates Cafu and Serginho , Barcelona player Dani Alves , Roberto Carlos of Real Madrid's Galácticos era, former River Plate's defender Juan Pablo Sorín , World Cup winning German Andreas Brehme , Parma 's legend Antonio Benarrivo , Angelo Di Livio of Juventus and Italy and former Corinthians , Arsenal and Barcelona star Sylvinho . Carles Puyol Carles Puyol Saforcada ( Catalan: [ˈkaɾləs puˈjɔl səfuɾˈkaðə] , Spanish: [ˈkaɾles puˈʝol safoɾˈkaða] ; born 13 April 1978)

3869-400: The last line of defence and usually covered opposing forwards in the middle of the field. The later 3–2–5 style involved a third dedicated defender, causing the left and right full-backs to occupy wider positions. Later, the adoption of 4–2–4 with another central defender led the wide defenders to play even further over to counteract the opposing wingers and provide support to their own down

3942-552: The latter's more elegant playing style. In his youth, Puyol was also known to be a quick and energetic right-sided defender, who had a penchant for getting forward as well as chasing down his opponents; however, he lost his pace with age. This became particularly noticeable in his later career, when he was usually deployed in the centre, in part due to a series of recurring knee injuries, which limited his playing time and affected his physical condition, eventually forcing him to retire prematurely. Puyol's long shaggy hair

4015-461: The manager's style of play and tactics. The centre-back (also known as a central defender or centre-half, as the modern role of the centre-back arose from the centre-half position) defends in the area directly in front of the goal and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards , from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots , tackling , intercepting passes , contesting headers and marking forwards to discourage

4088-503: The national team for at least another two years. He missed Spain's victorious Euro 2012 campaign due to a knee injury sustained in a league game against Espanyol in early May, which required surgery and five to six weeks' recuperation. The following year, he was ruled out of the Confederations Cup , once again due to physical problems. Puyol played his 100th and final international on 6 February 2013, captaining Spain to

4161-413: The number nine shirt, to track back and mark the opposing forwards, thus freeing up the full-backs from their marking duties. Andrea Schianchi of La Gazzetta dello Sport notes that this modification was designed to help smaller teams in Italy, as the man–to–man system often put players directly against one another, favouring the larger and wealthier teams with stronger individual players. In Italy,

4234-494: The only goal in the semi-final with Germany, a powerful header from a corner taken by Barcelona teammate Xavi , which sent the national team through to their first World Cup final. In the final , he featured for the full 120 minutes as the side defeated the Netherlands 1–0 in extra time . Spain only conceded two goals throughout the tournament – none of which came in the knock-out stages – also keeping five clean sheets ,

4307-447: The opposing team from passing to them. Centre-backs are often tall and positioned for their ability to win duels in the air. In the modern game, most teams employ two or three centre-backs in front of the goalkeeper . The 4–2–3–1 , 4–3–3 , and 4–4–2 formations all use two centre-backs. In possession of the ball, centre-backs are generally expected to make long and pinpoint passes to their teammates, or to kick unaimed long balls down

4380-581: The pitch, are natural full-backs. Two rather prominent examples are former A.C. Milan left-back Paolo Maldini and the former PSG full-back Sergio Ramos , who have played on the flanks as full-backs and in central defence throughout their career. In the modern game, full-backs often chip in a fair share of assists with their runs down the flank when the team is on a counter-attack like Leighton Baines and Trent Alexander-Arnold . The more common attributes of full-backs, however, include: Full-backs rarely score goals, as they often have to stay back to cover for

4453-402: The player's words, "...[he] gave me a great telling off. He made me react, and I began to try to be more cheerful, and not overwhelmed by it all." In March 2009, Puyol told Goal.com : "I do not like to go out much, although it is good to disconnect and I like to read." In September 2010, he started a relationship with model Malena Costa . In October of that year, he scored through a header in

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4526-430: The right-back) locate the holding wide positions and traditionally stay in defence at all times, until a set-piece. There is one full-back on each side of the field except in defences with fewer than four players, where there may be no full-backs and instead only centre-backs. In the early decades of football under the 2–3–5 formation , the two full-backs were essentially the same as modern centre-backs in that they were

4599-402: The sweeper role too, but was also not afraid to travel long distances with the ball, often ending up in the opposition's final third. Although this position has become largely obsolete in modern football formations, due to the use of zonal marking and the offside trap , certain players such as Daniele De Rossi , Leonardo Bonucci , Javi Martínez and David Luiz have played a similar role as

4672-476: The third goal in a 4–1 home win against Almería . Two days later, although he still had two more years in his contract, he announced that he would leave Barcelona at the end of the season . He said "After my last two major operations, I find it is taking me a lot of effort to reach the level required here, even more than myself and the surgeons thought necessary. That's the reason I have reached this decision". Barcelona bid farewell to Puyol on 15 May 2014, after

4745-455: The zonal defence, where each centre-back covers a specific area of the pitch; and man-to-man marking, where each centre-back has the job of tracking a particular opposition player. In the now obsolete man–to–man marking systems such as catenaccio , as well as the zona mista strategy that later arose from it, there were often at least two types of centre-backs who played alongside one another: at least one man–to–man marking centre-back, known as

4818-586: 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 . Born in La Pobla de Segur , Lleida , Catalonia , Puyol started playing football for his hometown club as

4891-466: Was a distinctive feature throughout his career. Barcelona manager Van Gaal suggested he get it cut when the player was 19, immediately after his first training session with the senior players. Van Gaal asked him in his office, "What's your problem, can't you afford the money for a haircut?". Puyol recalled: "I said nothing, and to this day have kept my hair as it is." In 2006, Puyol said that when not working, he leads "a very quiet life... I've not been to

4964-456: 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. Fellow defender Gerard Piqué said: "He's someone who, even if you're winning 3–0 and there's a few seconds left in the game will shout at the top of his voice at you if he thinks your concentration

5037-442: 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

5110-413: Was behind Frank de Boer and Michael Reiziger in the pecking order. However, he refused to leave after seeing his best friend Xavi make his first-team debut. Louis van Gaal promoted Puyol to the first team the following year, and he made his La Liga debut on 2 October 1999 in a 2–0 away win against Real Valladolid . After that he successfully made another conversion, to central defender . During

5183-586: Was immediately appointed director of football Andoni Zubizarreta 's assistant. He resigned in January 2015, shortly after Zubizarreta was fired. In September 2019, Puyol rejected an offer to become Barcelona's sporting director . Puyol debuted for the Spanish senior squad on 15 November 2000 against the Netherlands , and remained a regular fixture in the following years. He played for his country at

5256-496: Was invited by Iranian television channel IRIB TV3 to provide commentary on the 2018 FIFA World Cup match between Iran and Spain on 20 June in a programme hosted by Adel Ferdosipour but was not allowed in the studio. According to news website Entekhab , the former player said that he had been told by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that he could not appear in the programme "because of his looks (long hair)";

5329-454: Was known for revolutionising the role of the libero in Italy during the 1970s; under his Ternana manager Corrado Viciani, he served as one of the first modern exponents of the position in the country, due to his unique technical characteristics, namely a player who was not only tasked with defending and protecting the back-line, but also advancing out of the defence into midfield and starting attacking plays with their passing after winning back

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