FCBARCELONA.CAT

24.12.2009 14:13

Puyol: “There is nothing better than winning”

Marc Guillén

In this interview FC Barcelona’s captain Carles Puyol looks back on Barça’s trophy successes in 2009, a year that has gone down in history at the club.

Now in the last few days of 2009, it is time to look back at the year. Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat have spoken to FC Barcelona captain Carles Puyol. The blaugrana defender relives some of the key moments from a year in which he lifted six different titles.

How does it feel to have lifted the only trophy that was missing from the collection?
"I am very happy, not just because of the trophy, although it is very important, but also because of what went before, five trophies, in a row no less. I think it has been the perfect year. On personal level I am very proud to form part of this team and now we have done what we have done, what we want to is to continue in that vein". 

Are you aware in the dressing room of what you have achieved?
"We know we have done something important, difficult to repeat and I think in time we will appreciate it a bit more. All the players are aware of how difficult it will be. We have done it through hard work, things like this don’t just happen. We have great team spirit and every last one of us pulls in the same direction and you can see that on the field. When I say team spirit I don’t mean just the players and coaching staff but also everybody involved behind the scenes, and it is thanks to them that we have been able to achieve all this".

Morever, it has been done with more than half the team comprised of home grown players.
"For the home grown lads it is a source of pride to be involved, that so many of or important players have come through the youth set up and are fixtures in the first team, and that furthermore, they are winning prizes on an individual level also. That is something to be proud of and if we continue to invest in youth then I am sure there are plenty more where we came from".

It appears that you are creating a whole new model, a new style and philosophy.
"Barça have always looked after the youth set up. Sometimes it is not possible for so many players from the youth teams to come up at the same time, but a lot of importance is always placed on it and now we are reaping the rewards. Yet, we have to be patient and we need a coach who gives them the chance, that is the most important thing".

Let’s take a look at the six competitions one by one. What do you remember about the Copa del Rey?
"I remember the Final, it was a spectacular match due to the atmosphere and who we were playing against. Of all the finals we have played in, the one I have enjoyed best was the final of the Copa del Rey. Luis Enrique used to say to me that lots of people don’t take the Cup seriously but then the Final can turn out to be one of the most enjoyable games that there is, and I think he is right".

The League?
"The league is about consistency, the day to day, week to week and it is not easy to win it. But I think if you are going well in the league then you can win other trophies. This year we sealed it at the Bernabéu, even though there are more games. Madrid made life difficult for us with their excellent league record, but the game in the Bernabéu sealed it for us, the manner of our victory finished off their challenge. It was still just three points, but both team were in with a shout for the title; they are our biggest rivals and repeating a result like that will be almost impossible. As well, the season before we have to give them a guard of honour as Champions in a game we lost so winning 6-2 turned the tables and helped us to forget about the season before".

What comes to mind when you look back at the Champions’ League?
"Two things; winning in Rome and Andrés goal against Chelsea. One moment change everything. We were out of the competition but thanks to Andrés we were able to make it to the final and win it".

This season, 2009/10, started off with another trophy, the Spanish Supercup, perhaps the least important of the titles.
"No, every trophy is important for us, we always want to win and this season we are proving that we play to win right from the kick off. If it is a final then it is important. We came into the Supercup following a tough season with a lot of games, so the coaching staff allowed us plenty of time to rest, switch off and recover. We had not trained as much as our rivals, but fortunately we were still able to win".

The European Supercup was more difficult….
"Shakthar were very tough opponents, but luckily Pedro was able to get the winning goal. A lot of people thought it would be easy but the players knew it would be tough. Some of us had been involved in the defeat against Sevilla in 2006 and we did not want that to happen again. It was tough but fortunately in the end we won the trophy".

And finally, the World Club Cup….
"There were moments when it got difficult and plenty of us turned our minds back to 2006 thinking that it would slip through our fingers again. We tried to attack from the first minute but then we fell behind. We kept on battling and in the second half they tired after working so hard but they still held on until the final minutes. In extra time we knew we would win because our opponents were so tired".