Puyol reveals dramatic summer
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol revealed that he almost decided to quit football over the summer until a pain-free run during an impromptu holiday in Ibiza changed his mind.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Puyol, 34, is currently out injured and missed last weekend's El Clasico against Real Madrid. But the injury that he suffered over the summer was much worse and threatened to debilitate him into an early retirement from the game as he could not envisage living with the constant pain that he experienced back then.
The injury also prevented him from taking part in Spain's successful defence of their Euro title as well as Barcelona's win in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.
Following the end of the previous season, the club's medical staff worked hard in trying to help him get back to full fitness but things did not seem to be going according to plan. Ultimately, as they were running out of options, it was suggested to Puyol that he take a well-deserved holiday and train on his own over the summer break.
Luckily for Puyol, it was just the respite he needed to recover for the new season as it also helped him reinvigorate his belief in professional football.
"Injuries are the worst thing in football and I've had a few. I thought that one of them would force me to retire," Puyol wrote on the website 55dslstories.com.
"I worked day and night with my physio, Juanjo Brau, but couldn't recover.
"Some days it felt as though the discomfort had gone away but it was only temporary. It always returned.
"After four months I had to have surgery. The day after surgery we started working on my recovery, but I still felt the discomfort. That's when you start to think that maybe you'll never play again.
"Juanjo told me that I needed a change of scenery. We went to Ibiza with my brother and my best friend and we continued training there until we decided it was time to start running: the moment of truth.
"I completed an entire session without any pain. I realised that I could continue competing at the highest level.
"When I finished that training session I was as happy as when you win a title.
"In those 55 minutes I saw the light."
Puyol is currently recovering from an elbow injury sustained in Barcelona's win over Benfica in the Champions League and is expected to return to the first-team squad in the coming weeks.