Puyol: “Guardiola is perfect for Barça”

Club captain Carles Puyol gave an interview to Betfair, the Club’s official betting partner, and discussed the current team and his future, as well as Guardiola and the Spanish World Cup winning team.

¿Do you think Barça will win the league this season? “We can’t say that, but I do hope that we are there fighting for the title at the end of the season. Both Madrid and Villarreal are good teams and they won’t make it easy for us”.


You’ve won the World Cup, everything with Barça and been in the FIFA ideal XI- could it get any better? “I couldn’t ask for more and I’m very happy with this season. You have to keep on working to get better though, or if not, then at least to keep at the same level”.

Was the Ballon D’Or an award for the Barça academy system? “Yes, I think that having three finalists who came up through the system at the Club is great for us and the Club, as well as all those people involved in the academy who are aiming to make it to the first team. Seeing that the three best players in the world have come up through there is very important”.

Who would you have given the Ballon D’Or to?
“It’s hard to choose just one of them. They were three great candidates, it’s incredible to have three finalists from the club and it’ll be hard to ever repeat it. They all deserved it, but Messi got the votes and that seems fine to me”.

What is the secret of the Masía? “I think it’s the result of hard work, of an idea which is dealt with really well by trainers, of the coaches and of the players who are really good. It’s a combination of those factors”.

Is there another Puyol coming up through the ranks? “Another Puyol? I don’t know, but there are a lot of players with real quality and an exciting future ahead of them. Since the coaches here are brave and always give them the chance to play, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more young players in the first team soon”.

How long will you stay playing for? Will we see Puyol on the pitch when he’s 40? “I don’t know about 40. Right now I’m 32 and I feel physically fine and I’m still hungry and excited. I hope to play for a while yet”.

Can you imagine Barça without Guardiola? Can you see yourself as a manager? “Not right now, no. The boss is the perfect manager for us. Everything is working and so, no, I can’t imagine Barça without Pep. As for me, when I finish – hopefully not for a few years just yet- I can’t see myself becoming a manager”.

Can the six Cups ever be won again? “It’s very difficult. Inter came close and they saw how tough it was. We will fight to win everything we can and we’ll have to see how far we get”.

Paris, Rome or London? “I hope to get to London. It’s hard to choose between finals”.

Messi is better as a player, or a person? “As a player, he’s the best for me and as a person, he is humble, a good guy, always keen to learn and help teammates, which is very important. For me, that makes him even greater”.

Is this FC Barcelona the best team ever? “No. we’ll have to see. When this team finish their time, we’ll be better able to judge. It’s the stats that will decide. We’re happy with what we are doing, but there is still a long way to go”.

European Championship or World Cup? “Both. But since the European Championships was the first title our generation won, it was very important to us. It was a turning point, because that set us up for the World Cup”.

Your defender hero? “Paolo Maldini”.

Maradona or Messi? “Leo is very good. I wasn’t able to see much of Maradona, but his stats are there and everyone in the world talks about him. However, I think Leo could be the best ever”.

Guardiola the player, or Guardiola the manager? “Manager. For everything’s he’s achieved. He was important as a player, but as a manager he’s even better”.

Xavi or Iniesta? “Both of them. Cesc too. I’d take all three. We are lucky to have them in the Spanish team and I hope to see them all in the Barça team one day”.

Do you follow football outside of the club? Do you use the Play Station, for instance. “Yes, I like football and I try to watch games, though less now than before. I go on the Play Station a little, again I used to play more”.