Report: Carles Puyol To Leave FC Barcelona At The End Of The Season

Even with a suspect knee and other chronic injury problems, we were hoping that it wouldn't come to this. Carles Puyol has been a warrior; a true inspiration for us all, but if reports from Spanish daily Diario Sport are to be believed, Puyol's career at FC Barcelona is finally coming to an end, with the Catalan defender rumoured to be leaving the club at the end of the season. Thanks to a combination of injuries and flat-out decline, Puyol is no longer a first-choice in the Barcelona defense -- far from it in fact, Puyol can count himself lucky to make the bench on some matchdays, even if the Blaugrana backline continues to falter.

That's not to say that Puyol is entirely useless, either as a player and certainly not as a person; but the sad truth is that he is no longer the player he once was, and worryingly, he recognises that this is the case. Knowing that first team action will be tough to come by if he stays at the Camp Nou, Sport reason that Puyol will leave in search of a new challenge, one last challenge, before he hangs up his boots and brings his illustrious career to an end.

One suspects that Puyol may be tempted by a move to the MLS where he could perhaps reunite with former colleague, Thierry Henry in New York. Maybe he will get an opportunity to follow in his idol Paolo Maldini's footsteps and play for AC Milan? Whatever the future may hold for Carles Puyol, whether it's with FC Barcelona or elsewhere, I think I speak for everyone when I say that Carles has our full support.