Sports Nicknames - El Tiburon

Barcelona youth product (and eventual captain) Carles Puyol is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his generation. His distinctive long hair and aggressive defending gave rise to some names like "Tarzan" and El Tiburon (the shark).



Puyol's Barcelona career initially looked like it would stop before it even began, as a bid was accepted from Malaga when he was only 20. However, Puyol refused to move when he saw that his best friend Xavi had broken into the first team. From there, it was only upwards with the Catalan club, as he became captain in 2003 with the retirement of Luis Enrique.

Puyol continued making appearance after appearance for Barcelona, bringing with him many victories. He played 56 matches in between the 2009-10 Champions League semi-final defeat to Inter and a 2012 defeat to Osasuna. His victories continued, with trophies flowing into the club. Puyol would win 6 La Liga titles, 3 Copa del Reys and 3 Champions League titles during his career.

Puyol also succeeded at the international level, representing Spain at 7 different international competitions between his debut in 2000 and international retirement in 2013. He helped the country win the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup.

Puyol's career was cut short when a series of knee injuries and subsequent surgeries meant that he could not play at the level he had before. Despite signing a contract that would last until 2016, El Tiburon retired in 2014. This brought an end to his 15-year Barcelona career, 10 of which he was captain for. A commanding defender who could play all across the backline, there are plenty of reasons Puyol was looked upon (and still seen) as a great defender.


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