5 - Carles Puyol
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Flavia
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[tw]621616811780476929[/tw]
Going to be a father again
Going to be a father again
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Flavia
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[h=1]carles5puyolAvui és un gran dia per als barcelonistes! Visca el Barça. @3gerardpique #Milan #Xavi[/h]
Professor Chaos
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Barcafan 2304
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Absolute legend. Have some great memories of him. A true leader and no nonsense
El Flaco
Active member
Quotes from Puyol when he'd an interview with El País
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Did you expect such Blaugrana dominance?
No. I had confidence in the team, but the Bernabéu is such a difficult stadium to go to and I expected a more balanced match; Barça were vastly superior.
What’s wrong with Real Madrid?
They tried to compete with a game plan that Barça have mastered perfectly; they wanted to keep the ball and they didn’t manage to do so, and they were unable also to pressure because Barcelona’s build-up play was clean and easy, they always found an open player between the lines. Barça played one of the best matches of the last years, all the footballers were flawless.
Since you’re a good friend of Luis Enrique, you always trusted him. What did you see in him?
He was very important in my life and taught me a lot of things. He has a strong character, he’s a great professional and always says things to your face, pleasant or not. He doesn’t deceive you.
Luis Enrique has gotten to know how to handle Messi, Neymar and Suárez’s egos.
Not just the strikers’ egos, but also Andrés and Xavi’s before. Barça have world-class players in all positions. Their game is outstanding and their strength is in their unity, the talent is taken for granted. The three forwards are nice guys and they sacrifice themselves for the team’s sake, that’s the key. Egos have broken very important teams. Each one of them has to know what their job is and convince themselves that they must be ambitious because if winning is nice, doing it again feels much better.
Do you still enjoy Barça’s football?
Yes, it’s the one I lived. I like the teams that want to play and know how to do it. One of the things we had with Guardiola was that we didn’t just attack, I also really enjoyed how we defended. In spite of the squad talent and greatness, we worked like a small club, we gave importance to details such as the strategy, the habits…and we defended, a lot.
Do you understand why people are whistling Piqué?
No. He’s an essential player in the Spanish national team, he has always shown his face. They are wrong, the ones that are whistling him, although you must respect people. No one can doubt the commitment the Catalan players have shown to the Spanish national team, we have given our all.
The national team, Barça, football. Where do we find you?
I have created a player representation company with Iván de la Peña and Ramon Sostres. Iván is passionate about football, he loves to discover new talents, he watches players all the time and he talked to me about Neymar and Coutinho when they were 14 years old. Ramon is going to handle the contractual, fiscal, and legal aspects.
What’s your function in the agency?
My job will be to transfer my knowledge, my experience, with the purpose of creating a more professional footballer. I want to be a coach who helps them think things through, make decisions and manage their emotions in difficult situations with intelligence. I don’t want to be an invisible coach, I hope to make it easier to solve problems, given the fact that I had to work alone for a long time time because I didn’t start playing at Barça until I was 17 years old. I didn’t have the education kids have nowadays.
But all the coaches you had relied on you.
Eighty percent of the coaches I had wouldn’t have given me a spot in the lineup from the start, just two or three of them. I had to work hard, I never surrendered when facing doubts and that’s what I want the players to understand. We are also structuring the Carles Puyol school, a global and charitable project with children, for them to learn how to adapt to the football world. I have to reinvent myself based on my experience and knowledge, to adapt myself to a new life.
Despite being his assistant, you didn’t want to replace Andoni Zubizarreta as Barça’s sports director, you later ruled out presenting yourself to the same position under Joan Laporta’s candidacy and lastly, you didn’t want to be Roberto Mancini’s assistant coach at Inter. What did you want to be?
I had some offers that surprised me and made me feel proud, but when you quit playing you need peace of mind. Although I’m grateful to Zubizarreta and the club, maybe I rushed into taking that position. I’m saying this because I still had to accept I was no longer a footballer. I wanted to play until 40 or 41 years old like Paolo Maldini, my knee had different plans.
What were your feelings when you realized you could not play anymore?
I didn’t get out of bed feeling motivated or happy. It’s not easy to go from the outdoors to an office. I had a hard time accepting the changes in my life. I never stopped training when I was injured. I had already decided to quit before Zubizarreta’s departure and both him and the club knew about it. I didn’t want to stay, take any position and a salary. But I learned a lot, I witnessed the other face of football. I also didn’t feel prepared to be Mancini’s assistant.
Did you have any offers to continue playing?
Had I been able to play, I’d have continued at Barça. It wasn’t a matter of going to another league or to a less demanding team, I set my own standards and if I’m not at my 100 percent, I don’t play.
And how’s your knee?
It feels much better. The transition has been tough. My physical discomfort didn’t allow me to have freedom and peace of mind to think. I had to quit football and later I couldn’t do any sports because my knee filled with liquid because of the problem with my cartilages. It’s really harsh to quit playing and on top of that to be unwell physically. Practicing any sport makes me feel alive and gives me freedom to think. Now, I can exercise everyday.
Did you panic?
When I was playing, I was never afraid, I was a very positive person and I thought everything was going to be alright. Maybe it was a mistake to not stop training, not a single day, but I wanted to be with the team regardless of the consequences. But then, when I quit playing, I did have doubts. Although the doctors calmed me down, I was suffering more than enjoying myself.
Did you have a critical moment?
I was afraid to come down the stairs. Sometimes my knee gives. When I quit football, I went from 100 to zero; I needed time to ponder what I wanted to do. I know that now. Things are made out of passion and dreams, just like football.
Source
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Did you expect such Blaugrana dominance?
No. I had confidence in the team, but the Bernabéu is such a difficult stadium to go to and I expected a more balanced match; Barça were vastly superior.
What’s wrong with Real Madrid?
They tried to compete with a game plan that Barça have mastered perfectly; they wanted to keep the ball and they didn’t manage to do so, and they were unable also to pressure because Barcelona’s build-up play was clean and easy, they always found an open player between the lines. Barça played one of the best matches of the last years, all the footballers were flawless.
Since you’re a good friend of Luis Enrique, you always trusted him. What did you see in him?
He was very important in my life and taught me a lot of things. He has a strong character, he’s a great professional and always says things to your face, pleasant or not. He doesn’t deceive you.
Luis Enrique has gotten to know how to handle Messi, Neymar and Suárez’s egos.
Not just the strikers’ egos, but also Andrés and Xavi’s before. Barça have world-class players in all positions. Their game is outstanding and their strength is in their unity, the talent is taken for granted. The three forwards are nice guys and they sacrifice themselves for the team’s sake, that’s the key. Egos have broken very important teams. Each one of them has to know what their job is and convince themselves that they must be ambitious because if winning is nice, doing it again feels much better.
Do you still enjoy Barça’s football?
Yes, it’s the one I lived. I like the teams that want to play and know how to do it. One of the things we had with Guardiola was that we didn’t just attack, I also really enjoyed how we defended. In spite of the squad talent and greatness, we worked like a small club, we gave importance to details such as the strategy, the habits…and we defended, a lot.
Do you understand why people are whistling Piqué?
No. He’s an essential player in the Spanish national team, he has always shown his face. They are wrong, the ones that are whistling him, although you must respect people. No one can doubt the commitment the Catalan players have shown to the Spanish national team, we have given our all.
The national team, Barça, football. Where do we find you?
I have created a player representation company with Iván de la Peña and Ramon Sostres. Iván is passionate about football, he loves to discover new talents, he watches players all the time and he talked to me about Neymar and Coutinho when they were 14 years old. Ramon is going to handle the contractual, fiscal, and legal aspects.
What’s your function in the agency?
My job will be to transfer my knowledge, my experience, with the purpose of creating a more professional footballer. I want to be a coach who helps them think things through, make decisions and manage their emotions in difficult situations with intelligence. I don’t want to be an invisible coach, I hope to make it easier to solve problems, given the fact that I had to work alone for a long time time because I didn’t start playing at Barça until I was 17 years old. I didn’t have the education kids have nowadays.
But all the coaches you had relied on you.
Eighty percent of the coaches I had wouldn’t have given me a spot in the lineup from the start, just two or three of them. I had to work hard, I never surrendered when facing doubts and that’s what I want the players to understand. We are also structuring the Carles Puyol school, a global and charitable project with children, for them to learn how to adapt to the football world. I have to reinvent myself based on my experience and knowledge, to adapt myself to a new life.
Despite being his assistant, you didn’t want to replace Andoni Zubizarreta as Barça’s sports director, you later ruled out presenting yourself to the same position under Joan Laporta’s candidacy and lastly, you didn’t want to be Roberto Mancini’s assistant coach at Inter. What did you want to be?
I had some offers that surprised me and made me feel proud, but when you quit playing you need peace of mind. Although I’m grateful to Zubizarreta and the club, maybe I rushed into taking that position. I’m saying this because I still had to accept I was no longer a footballer. I wanted to play until 40 or 41 years old like Paolo Maldini, my knee had different plans.
What were your feelings when you realized you could not play anymore?
I didn’t get out of bed feeling motivated or happy. It’s not easy to go from the outdoors to an office. I had a hard time accepting the changes in my life. I never stopped training when I was injured. I had already decided to quit before Zubizarreta’s departure and both him and the club knew about it. I didn’t want to stay, take any position and a salary. But I learned a lot, I witnessed the other face of football. I also didn’t feel prepared to be Mancini’s assistant.
Did you have any offers to continue playing?
Had I been able to play, I’d have continued at Barça. It wasn’t a matter of going to another league or to a less demanding team, I set my own standards and if I’m not at my 100 percent, I don’t play.
And how’s your knee?
It feels much better. The transition has been tough. My physical discomfort didn’t allow me to have freedom and peace of mind to think. I had to quit football and later I couldn’t do any sports because my knee filled with liquid because of the problem with my cartilages. It’s really harsh to quit playing and on top of that to be unwell physically. Practicing any sport makes me feel alive and gives me freedom to think. Now, I can exercise everyday.
Did you panic?
When I was playing, I was never afraid, I was a very positive person and I thought everything was going to be alright. Maybe it was a mistake to not stop training, not a single day, but I wanted to be with the team regardless of the consequences. But then, when I quit playing, I did have doubts. Although the doctors calmed me down, I was suffering more than enjoying myself.
Did you have a critical moment?
I was afraid to come down the stairs. Sometimes my knee gives. When I quit football, I went from 100 to zero; I needed time to ponder what I wanted to do. I know that now. Things are made out of passion and dreams, just like football.
Source
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