5 Players that defined the last decade of FC Barcelona

#4 Carles Puyol

Carles Puyol with his legendary locks.

The central bedrock of the Barcelona defense, Carles Puyol was widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his generation. He, in his defensive partnership with Gerard Pique formed the base of the legendary Barcelona attacks.

A great passer of the ball and a dependable defender, Puyol represented the best that the golden generation of Barcelona had to offer.

Puyol made his La Liga debut on 2nd October 1999 and has been keeping opposition strikers on their toes ever since. A versatile defender, his proficiency in the air made him a great attacking threat from free kicks and corners as well.

Puyol has been instrumental in the Barcelona defenses that famously kept clean sheets against arch rivals Real Madrid including the 5-0 victory over them in November 2010.

The Spanish maestro has gone up against the likes of Raul, Ronaldo, Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo and held his own. Having won six La Liga trophies and achieving three triumphs in the UEFA Champions league, Puyol is one of the most successful Barcelona players and defenders of all time.

He was the player who was known to not shy away from getting his hands dirty and to put his body on the line to make last ditch tackles. His work ethic and in-game ruggedness made him a world class defender.

A one club man his entire career, Puyol was defined by his loyalty and his commitment to FC Barcelona and deserves to be fondly remembered for his contributions to the sport and the club.