Top 5 moments of Carles Puyol's illustrious career 

#4 Allowing Abidal to lift the 2011 Champions League trophy

Abidal lifts the Champions League title

28th May 2011, a date Barcelona fans will never forget. Sir Alex Ferguson himself had admitted that his side had been taught a footballing lesson after their 3-1 defeat to Barcelona at Wembley. Barcelona's performance was a brilliant orchestra of attacking football from start to finish, and one of their best performances during Pep Guardiola's illustrious tenure at Camp Nou.

The performance itself was overshadowed, however, by the celebrations that ensued. On the way up to collect the trophy, Puyol showcased his flawless character, giving his captain's armband to Eric Abidal. This allowed the Frenchman, who had just recovered from a liver transplant, following a battle with cancer, to be the first one to lift the club's fourth European title.

"It was a massive gesture. It felt like time stood still and [that] I was alone in a packed out stadium. Now I'm very thankful that he did it."

After the game, the Frenchman only had good things to say about the Barcelona captain and was quoted saying: "It was a massive gesture. It felt like time stood still and I was alone in a packed out stadium. Now I'm very thankful that he did it." Acts like these show us how popular a leader Puyol was within the Los Azulgrana camp.