Barcelona defender Carles Puyol has revealed that there have been times where he has thought that he will never play football again.

Puyol has suffered a serious knee injury in the past and he is currently on the sidelines with a dislocated elbow. The experienced defender has admitted that the severity of the injuries had left him fearing for his future.

Puyol told 55dslstories.com: "Injuries are the worst thing in football and I've had a few. I thought that one of them would force me to retire.

"I worked day and night with my physio, Juanjo Brau, but couldn't recover. Some days it felt as though the discomfort had gone away but it was only temporary. It always returned.

"After four months, I had to have surgery. The day after surgery, we started working on my recovery, but I still felt the discomfort. That's when you start to think that maybe you'll never play again."

The 34-year-old has made 563 appearances for Barcelona.