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At the age of 15, in the main team, 593 official matches, 18 goals and 21 trophies won - these numbers will never change in Carles Puyol's biography.
The long-time captain of "Barcelona" is leaving his team and hanging up his boots.
Puyol announced his decision to say goodbye to the club on March 4th of this year. However, at that time the footballer did not reveal what he plans to do in the coming season.
But now it has become clear that the 36-year-old defender has decided to end his professional career altogether, although it was previously thought that he could still play for a weaker team in a lower division of the country. Puyol himself did not hide - such a painful decision was forced on him by recurring injuries and exhaustion.
"I will play at Barca until I feel I can play with all my strength and give it my all. I would like to end my career when I turn 40," said the footballer.
During the farewell ceremony held on Thursday, the "Barcelona" captain was greeted by a crowd of people at the "Auditori 1899" hall: former and current team friends, presidents of the Catalan team, coaches, club employees.
"I never thought I would be so lucky. The dream of many little kids to play at Barca became a reality for me. I did what I love for a long time: played football and trained. With Barcelona, I won many trophies, but the most important victory for me is human warmth. I came here as a young man and I leave as a family member," the footballer did not hide his emotions.
When asked what the most memorable moment of his career was, the Catalan replied without hesitation: "When Eric Abidal raised the Champions League trophy".
During Barcelona's triumph in the 2011 Champions League final, Puyol handed the captain's armband to E. Abidal and symbolically gave the first place to the tournament winner suffering from a serious illness.
Puyol wore the captain's armband for Barcelona since the beginning of the 2003-2004 season, and jokingly said during the farewell ceremony that "these duties were not difficult".
"There are many wonderful people in the team. Now there are two captains leaving it: me and Victor Valdes. But that does not mean the end of the team's era. It is just the end of one period and I am calm because I know I am leaving the captain's armband in reliable hands," the veteran said.
For now, the Catalan has not revealed what he plans to do next, but he was pleased that his ties with Barcelona will not be severed.
"I will talk about my future a little later, maybe in a few weeks. However, I think I would choose to work at the youth academy rather than pursue a coaching career," Puyol pondered.
