Barcelona: Barcelona defender Carles Puyol will undergo knee surgery, the Spanish league club said on Tuesday, set to rule the Spain international out of next month's European Championships.
Puyol on Saturday finished Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Espanyol with discomfort in his right knee, and subsequent medical tests led the 34-year-old to opt for arthroscopic surgery.
Barcelona said the surgery will be performed on Saturday and Puyol will need six weeks to recover, dealing Spain a major defensive setback ahead of their bid to become the first nation to defend their European title after winning the 2010 World Cup.
"After tests were conducted it was decided the player would have arthroscopic surgery next Saturday, May 12," Barca said in a statement on their website. "The estimated time he will be out of action is around six weeks."
The veteran defender will also miss Barcelona's last La Liga match of the season, against Real Betis, while also missing out on the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao on May 25.
Puyol previously had surgery on his left knee, which sidelined him for much of last season. The Barcelona captain seemed to have recovered and was a regular in the Catalan club's line-up throughout the season.
Puyol played in all matches that led Spain to win the Euro 2008 in Austria and the World Cup in South Africa two years later. He has 99 caps and has played for Spain at all major championships since the 2002 World Cup.
"His absence leaves us without such an important player," coach Vicente del Bosque told Spanish sports daily Marca. "He was playing great at this moment, too. A great shame."
Spain open Group C play on June 10 against Italy. They will also face Ireland and Croatia at the continental tournament that is co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.
The Euro 2012 runs from June 8 to July 1.
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