A first glance at Puyol is deceptive, with apparently stocky build and sturdy legs that don’t seem to be built for speed, all topped by his trademark head of long curly hair. However, when he removes his shirt there is not an ounce of fat to be seen and his torso is ripped from many hours dedicated to working out.

In fact Puyol’s dedication is such that he objects to being left out of a single match selection, even if it is for a rest period when the team is playing a number of matches is a short space of time and he has been noted to attend training sessions where he was specifically given a rest day.

Born in La Pobla de Segur, which is located in the interior of Catalonia, on April 13 1978, as a boy Carles Puyol played for the local side. He was signed for the FC Barcelona B team in 1996 at the age of 17 and made is first team debut in 1999 under Louis Van Gaal, when visiting Barcelona beat Valladolid 2-0.

Although a defender throughout his professional career, Puyol’s original position was goalkeeper. When shoulder injuries prevented him from continuing – and from his aggressive defence you can only imagine what he would have been like in goal, perhaps a big contributing factor to his injuries – Puyol moved up front to become a striker. These days he plays centre back, although he debuted at Barcelona as a right back when he first came up from the B team.

He is often called up to the Spanish selection, which he has also captained on occasion, and has also appeared in the Catalan team, but what is clear is that Carles Puyol is Barcelona through and through and with his contract running until 2010 it is difficult to ever imagine him playing for another club, no matter how big the offer put to him – his dedication to the club appears to be absolute

David Leigh lives in Barcelona where he is an infrequent visitor to see FC Barcelona play at the Nou Camp.