Certainly this is not something that Barcelona fans were looking forward to, but it was inevitable.

Blaugrana skipper Carles Puyol, who has faithfully served the Catalan club since 1995 and made his professional debut in 1999 under Louis Van Gaal, quickly grew into a fan favourite due to his all-action displays for both club and country.

With Spain, he won the EURO 2008 and World Cup in 2010, and was unfortunate to miss out on the 2012 tournament in Poland/Ukraine due to injury.

His 21-for trophy haul for Barcelona includes six La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues, two Copa Del Reys and two Club World Cups.

Moving on: The 35-year-old will be leaving Camp Nou at the end of the season

Further injury issues have seen him been restricted to a smattering of appearances for his club, and having been left out of Spain's squad for their upcoming friendly with Italy, the veteran defender will probably not be on the plane heading to Brazil in a few months.

Big void to fill: Who will line up alongside Gerard Pique next season?

Club icon: Pique has led by example since assuming the captaincy a decade ago