Puyol has won rave reviews in Spain for his tremendous performances at club level this season.

The 23-year-old has been outstanding, with assured performances at the back and some dangerous surges in attack.

His most spectacular contribution to the season came when he scored with an acrobatic overhead kick in a 6-0 win over Tenerife in February.

A regular member of the Barca team since making a daunting debut against Real Madrid in October 1999, his first international experience came with the Under-21 side which finished third at the 2000 European Championships.

After impressing there he made his senior debut against Holland in November later in the year.