It's frustrating to see part of your body not responding - even more so given the way I am and the way I like to train and always give 100 per cent. You experience sadness, anger, and powerlessness... you really want to do something, but you can't. In the end, however, you have to be honest with yourself and those around you.

Carles Puyol

Categorized in : You I Am Anger Experience

I don't have Romário's technique, [Marc] Overmars' pace or [Patrick] Kluivert's strength. But I work harder than the others. I'm like the student who is not as clever, but revises for his exams and does OK in the end.

Carles Puyol

technique hard-work clever

Leo Messi is a spectacular player, there is nobody else like him. I should not because I have suffered so much in training. I think he is the best forward at the moment and I think he will be so for many more years. He has his feet on the ground.

Carles Puyol

player years thinking

My parents were skeptical about me becoming a footballer and encouraged me to study.

Carles Puyol

becoming study parent

There's a special part of Messi's brain allowing him to see the split-second chaos of football in his own personal super slow motion.

Carles Puyol

special brain football

FC Barcelona is the national team of Catalonia

Carles Puyol

national-team barcelona team

I could never have dreamt of the kind of career I had, but I was always happy with the ball in my hands or at my feet.

Carles Puyol

never feet happy hands

Winning one Champions League title is a dream come true, so just imagine winning three!

Carles Puyol

champions true dream winning

What matters most is that the team always comes ahead of the players.

Carles Puyol

matters ahead always team

Champions League is a very tough competition.

Carles Puyol

champions very tough competition

Sometimes I played as a goalkeeper with my brother and his friends - they were all older, and nobody wanted to go in goal, so it had to be me!

Carles Puyol

me friends brother sometimes

My memories from childhood always involve a football.

Carles Puyol

always childhood football memories

I'm not a big fan of revolutions. People nearly always call for them when a team that's triumphed a great deal goes a year without winning anything. For me, however, the experience gained in previous victories is important.

Carles Puyol

great me experience people

Many people have told me I could be a coach, but it doesn't appeal.

Carles Puyol

coach many me people

Every player dreams of winning the World Cup, and there are very few who are fortunate enough to actually do it.

Carles Puyol

dreams enough winning world

I've been lucky enough to play for the Spanish national team and Barcelona, two sides who've shown that you can play good, attractive possession football and win major titles.

Carles Puyol

good you team football

For me, it's hard to separate being a fan from the feelings you have for some of your team-mates.

Carles Puyol

your me you feelings

I've been lucky enough to play in the final of a World Cup before, but it's always an amazing experience to walk out at a packed stadium.

Carles Puyol

walk amazing experience world

My job will be to transmit - using my experience, my knowledge - with the intention of making the player more professional. I want to be a 'life-coach' who helps them to think, to make decisions, to manage their emotions with intelligence in difficult situations.

Carles Puyol

job intelligence experience knowledge

I don't want to be an invisible coach. I want to provide guidelines to solve problems, coming from the base I have, as I had to work a lot considering I did not play at Barca until I was 17.

Carles Puyol

problems want play work

For me to be able to play football was a gift.

Carles Puyol

gift me play football