One-Club Men of European football (Part III) – http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carles-Puyol-c8331, Xavier Hernandez
Carles Puyol – Barcelona:
Carles Puyol has every reason to stick to Barcelona. The Catalan giants are one of the best teams on the planet and no one likes to leave such a team, especially when one is their captain. The veteran Puyol has spent 12 years with Barcelona and is keen to
play more seasons. He was a product of the Barcelona youth academy and joined Barcelona B in 1997. After playing a couple of seasons, he was promoted to the main team and since then, he is an important part of the team.
The accomplished defender has played 347 La Liga games for Barcelona and has scored seven goals as a defender. In all, he has played in 511 games for Barcelona, with nine goals to his name. He was promoted as captain in 2004 and is the longest serving captain
for the club. He is known for his leadership skills and work ethics. He is known as one of the best defenders in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 and his intense commitment is his hallmark. Praising his commitment, fellow defender Gerrard Pique said, “He's someone who, even if you're
winning 3-0 and there's a few seconds left in the game will shout at the top of his voice at you if he thinks your concentration is going.” He nicknames are ‘The Wall’ and ‘Lion’s Heart’.
Puyol has won four Spanish League titles with Barcelona and twice, he was part of the club’s UEFA Champions League winning team. In both the UEFA Champions league finals, he was the team’s captain. He was declared as the Breakthrough Player of the Year in
2001. He was also declared UEFA Club best defender in 2006. In the summer Olympics of 2000, he won the silver medal with the Spanish international team.
Xavier Hernandez – Barcelona
Xavi, another loyal Barcelona player, is also a product of the Barcelona youth academy. Xavi joined the senior club in 1998 and is the main crafter in the team.
Since his inclusion in Barcelona, he has played 373 league games and scored 38 goals. He has played 560 games for the club, netting 56 goals. Xavi has evolved the game play of Barcelona and his linkage with the strikers and peer midfielders is the key to
their success. He is considered one of the finest playmakers in the world. His short silky passes and guile are his main attributes.
The short star made his debut in a 3-1 victory against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863. Progressing through his career, Xavi was installed as the principal playmaker after an injury to Pep Guardiola. He was the pivotal part of Barcelona’s treble in the 2008-2009 season. A journalist
praised him and said, “Quite simply the best midfielders in modern football, and one of the greatest 'centre' midfielders of all time.”
In his career with Barcelona, he has won five Spanish League titles and is expected to be instrumental in the sixth one that they are on track to win this year. He was the main factor behind Barcelona’s previous two UEFA Champion League cups. Recently,
he was awarded the World Soccer Player of the Year in 2010. Thrice in his career, he was part of the FIFA Team of the Year. He has been labelled the World’s Best Playmaker for the past three years in a row.
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