Carlos Puyol would have been looking forward to playing for Spain at Euro 2012 after a disappointing season with Barcelona, but now he looks set to miss Euro 2012 with a knee injury.
The upcoming championships could be the last chance Puyol gets at playing in a major International tournament, but that chance now looks slim after the Barcelona captain was booked in for a knee operation which will sideline him for six weeks.
Skysports reported:
“Puyol will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Saturday after experiencing discomfort in his knee during Barcelona’s 4-0 derby win over Espanyol at the weekend. He is expected to be out of action for six weeks, meaning the 34-year-old would be unavailable for at least the group phase of the European Championship. Coach Vicente del Bosque must now decide whether to include the versatile defender in his 23-man squad, knowing Puyol will be short of match fitness for the latter stages of the tournament. Puyol was a member of Spain’s Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup winning teams, and this summer’s competition may have been his last on the international stage.The holders will face Italy, the Republic of Ireland and Croatia in the group phase and also have several warm-up friendlies to play. Barcelona’s decision to book Puyol in for surgery also means he will sit out the final Primera Liga game of the season against Real Betis this weekend and also the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao later this month.”
via Puyol set to miss Euros | Spain Football Team News, Fixtures, Results | Sky Sports.
It is a massive shame that we might have just seen the end of Puyol in a Spain shirt, and it will be a massive blow to the squad. As much of a gladiator he is, It doesn’t look like he will quite make it back in time. But maybe we shouldn’t put it past him just yet!