About Carles Puyol
Carles Puyol Saforcada (Catalan: [ˈkaɾləs puˈjɔl səfuɾˈkaðə], Spanish: [ˈkaɾles puˈʝol safoɾˈkaða]; born 13 April 1978) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played his entire career for Barcelona. Considered one of the best defenders ever and one of the sport's greatest captains, he mainly played as a centre-back, but could also play in either full-back position, mostly as a right-back. Known for his defensive qualities and leadership, Puyol earned the nickname of "El Tiburón" ("The Shark") by teammates and fans. He was Barcelona's captain from August 2004 until his retirement in 2014 and appeared in 593 competitive matches for the club. He won 18 major club titles, including six La Liga trophies and three Champions Leagues. Puyol won 100 caps for Spain, and was part of the squads that won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. In the 2010 World Cup semi-final, he scored the only goal of the game against Germany. However, he refused to leave after seeing his best friend Xavi make his first-team debut.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.