Carles Puyol: Legendary Defender Speaks On Messi Exit And Chooses Favorite Barcelona Match

Legendary FC Barcelona defender Carles Puyol has spoken on the attempted exit of captain Lionel Messi, while also choosing his favorite match in Blaugrana.

Speaking at an event in Milan alongside former Real Madrid and Spain icon Iker Casillas, Puyol admitted that he “didn’t want Messi to leave, but it’s football”.

“In the end he decided to stay, [and] he said recently that he is motivated – that he wants to [win] – and hopefully he can stay with us for many years. It is a huge asset for La Liga, he is one of the best in the world,” said Puyol.

“Perhaps Iker would have liked a Barcelona without Messi,” Puyol joked, before insisting that all soccer fans are “somehow linked” to the Argentine, because his style of play is “fascinating”.

Speaking on how he himself came lost to exiting the Camp Nou and joining AC Milan, Puyol explained how you “have to evaluate a lot of things” when considering a change of club.

“I had the pride of playing at Barcelona, it’s something I have inside [me]. The circumstances were favorable, the club always counted on me,” Puyol began on this subject.

“In 2014, I had knee problems and quit. But I was in the first team for 15 years. I received offers from other teams, Italian and English. I have never hidden that I would have liked to play at Milan, [and] play with Paolo Maldini, who to me is an idol. Milan was in a good moment then, but I am very happy to have stayed in Barcelona.

On possibly winning the Ballon d’Or, Puyol admitted he had “never thought” of it despite reaching the very top of the game at both club and international level.

“When you live with Messi, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi Hernandez, Casillas, it’s hard to say who’s better. Goals make all the difference and Messi and Cristiano were the [main] rivals. Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta were huge players, but they went unnoticed despite working hard,” Puyol pointed out.

Lastly, on his favorite game for Barca, Puyol chose the epic 2-6 win at the Bernabeu in 2009.

“It was our first year with Pep Guardiola. We started La Liga very well, but then Madrid started to come back. Three games were remaining, we were four points short and winning that match was the decider,” said Puyol.

“But I also remember the previous year, when we had to make the guard of honor for Madrid. I wanted that match to end soon, we lost 4-1 and they were able to score more,” the 42-year-old concluded.