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Vicente Del Bosque Hoping Defender Carles Puyol Does Not Retire From Spain National Team - Report
Del Bosque hopes to retain Puyol despite the aging veteran's earlier announcements that he will retire from international play...
Jul 13, 2010 11:43:00 AM
By Cyrus C. Malek
As reported by Sport, Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque's first task after winning the country's first ever World Cup in South Africa will be to convince Carles Puyol to continue defending the colours of La Furia Roja.
The Barcelona centre-back announced before the World Cup that he would be leaving international football but after gleaning football's ultimate prize, Del Bosque hopes to persuade the long-locked Blaugrana captain to have a change of heart.
"He is an example for every player, including the coaching staff. I will try to convince him to keep playing with La Seleccion," said Del Bosque, who hopes to count on RFEF (Spanish FA) sporting director Fernando Hierro in an effort to speak with Puyol.
As for the player, Puyol revealed that doubts about his previous announcement have sprouted and that he has not yet made a definite decision about his future. "With all sincerity, it is not a decision that has been made yet," he admitted. "The truth is that a year ago things were much more clear for me than they are now. I had almost definitively decided to leave international football. It is a normal thing for a footballer, but speaking to my team-mates, my coach, Hierro and other important people in my life, has made me think about it."
Puyol became one of La Roja's timeless legends during this summer's World Cup, heading in the solitary goal that saw Spain through to the final in beating Germany. In the final, he became Spain's fifth player to defend La Roja with more than 90 matches in a Spain shirt.
The 2010 World Cup has just ended, but keep up to date with all the latest news at Goal.com's World Cup homepage and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
The Barcelona centre-back announced before the World Cup that he would be leaving international football but after gleaning football's ultimate prize, Del Bosque hopes to persuade the long-locked Blaugrana captain to have a change of heart.
"He is an example for every player, including the coaching staff. I will try to convince him to keep playing with La Seleccion," said Del Bosque, who hopes to count on RFEF (Spanish FA) sporting director Fernando Hierro in an effort to speak with Puyol.
As for the player, Puyol revealed that doubts about his previous announcement have sprouted and that he has not yet made a definite decision about his future. "With all sincerity, it is not a decision that has been made yet," he admitted. "The truth is that a year ago things were much more clear for me than they are now. I had almost definitively decided to leave international football. It is a normal thing for a footballer, but speaking to my team-mates, my coach, Hierro and other important people in my life, has made me think about it."
Puyol became one of La Roja's timeless legends during this summer's World Cup, heading in the solitary goal that saw Spain through to the final in beating Germany. In the final, he became Spain's fifth player to defend La Roja with more than 90 matches in a Spain shirt.
The 2010 World Cup has just ended, but keep up to date with all the latest news at Goal.com's World Cup homepage and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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