FCBARCELONA.CAT

19.09.2008 14:45

Puyol: “Enthusiasm breeds success”

Marc Guillén

In an interview with Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat, FC Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has revealed what he believes to be the key to success: You have to enjoy what you are doing, that way, each morning, you feel like you really want to train.

After playing 400 official matches for FC Barcelona, captain Carles Puyol gave an interview looking back at his career at the club, and revealed his secret for maintaining the same level required to meet such high demands on a day to day basis. “You need to enjoy what you are doing. Like in any job, you have to enjoy being a footballer and every day you need to want to go and train. Then you need luck and not to get injured, but the most important thing is to be enthusiastic. You have to understand that it is a privilege to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world”.

Best memory, the Champions League

On October 2, it will be 9 years since Puyol made his first team debut, and his fondest memory was winning the Champions League in Paris. “It was one those moments you can’t put into words, you have to experience it” he said. “But at the time a lot of it doesn’t sink in. I felt the thrill much later, when I saw the game again on DVD, because it all happens so fast when you are there.”

“I’ll always be a Barça man”

Carles Puyol is one of eleven players in the squad that came up through the youth ranks, and for that reason he think he feels the club colours more than most. “I sincerely believe that the local players feel the colours more, but that’s only normal. If I was to go away, I’d play out of my skin for that team, which is what we want the players that come here to do, but I will always be a Barça man”.

Important win

After failing to win either of their first league encounters, the win over Sporting Lisbon was important for team morale. “That was a very important win” he said. “After two years without titles and not as good a start as we had hoped for, we needed a result like that. Now we need three or four wins in a row, to put together some good results and to end up winning titles”.

Goal drought no concern

Against Sporting Clube de Portugal, Barça scored three times to end a run of three games in which only one goal went in. Puyol is not too bothered about the lack of goals. “People speak about a lot of things” he said. “But it would be a lot more worrying if we weren’t creating chances. We have top quality players and the goals will come.”

Adaptation of newcomers

There are five new players at FC Barcelona this season, all which Puyol reckons were top class signings. He believes “we have to give the new players time to adapt. Barça is a very big club and it is not east to play in the Camp Nou. For the time being they are adapting well to the squad and the city.”

Broadcast on Barça TV

This interview with Carles Puyol will be broadcast in full on Barça TV on Friday at 16.30, at 20.00 and at 22.45.